Which grocer has bugs in bags of sugar? Or rodent pee on products? This week’s report
Birds, bugs and bad plumbing join rodents as stars of this week’s list of Gross Grocers from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
Again, for those who might be dropping by for the first time, this is not our Sick and Shut Down List of restaurants that fail inspection (which stay closed until they pass re-inspection). That appears Mondays, sometimes Tuesdays.
These inspectors, from the Florida Department of Agriculture, can shut down parts of a place, although if they shut down enough parts, keeping the rest of the whole open becomes pointless for the business.
What follows comes from inspections of supermarkets, mid-size grocers, bodegas, convenience stores, gas station minimarts, food storage facilities and food processors. If you see a problem, don’t email us. Click here and file a complaint. We don’t control who gets inspected or how strictly. We report without passion or prejudice but with humor on weekly special.
And we go in alphabetical order:
Belle Monte Italian Deli, 2688 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach: Nobody seemed to know how long the open sliced provolone cheese in the reach-in cold deli display case had been open. As long or not as long as the “dry food particles” on the inside of the table top cheese grater, the shredder table and the push tool?
“Food debris and soil found on backside of food support plate and blade carrier and on crevices around top cover and piece holder of deli slicer.”
Also, the place could use a wipe down. In the kitchen, “food and dirt accumulated on floors under storage racks inside walk-in cooler.” The food service area was marred by “product debris and soil found on bottom shelves inside reach-in cold deli display case.”
Dollar Tree, 1336 N. Federal Hwy., Delray Beach: Out on the shelves, “various packaged foods had rodent excreta and urine on them as revealed under a black light.”
To be more specific, “There was rodent excreta on the shelves and on packaged foods in aisles Nos. 3 and 4.” In the back room, “there was rodent excreta along the northeastern wall of the stockroom.”
When the Inspector David Grix returned on Wednesday, he found in the back room “evidence of rodent activity along the northeastern wall of the stockroom.”
Aisle Nos. 3 and 4, along with the northeast side of the stockroom remained under Stop Use orders.
Flowers Baking Company of Miami, Thrift Store & Distribution Center, 2700 NW 122nd St., North Miami-Dade: Their problems were over their head.
“Inside the dry storage area where breads are stored, about seven or eight live birds flying around the facility.”
“In the back room of the retail store where baked goods and snack are stored, several ceiling tiles missing...observed on the floor of the back room of the retail store, an excessive amount of debris from broken ceiling tiles.”
Glades Food Market, 364 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Belle Glade: It’s been two and a half years since an intrepid inspector braved this place for a full inspection. Looks like they need to drop by more often. By the time the inspector left, a Stop Use order covered all food service.
Not for the “small insects inside onsite packages of rice and sugar in retail shelf” or the “small insects inside big bags of rice in back storage area.”
Not for the “rodent droppings on the floor inside the cigarette storage room and back storage area.”
Not for the “spider webs on the ceiling near the back exit door and back storage area.”
Not for the lack of hot water or paper towels in the only back room restroom (hepatitis A anybody?).
Not for the “black mold-like accumulation” on the heavily cut up cutting board.
Nope, the problem that got the food service on Stop is the direct plumbing for the three-compartment sink. One sewage backup and things get really ugly.
My Market & Deli, 229 SW 17th St., Fort Lauderdale: In the deli, “employee preparing ready-to-eat sandwich wraps with bare hands.”
Even with a fanatic devotion to cleanliness, that’s a problem. This devotion appears more erratic than fanatic.
Also in the deli area, “dry food particles found on spatulas by sandwich press and on blade and push tool of deli slicers...dust accumulated on fan guards inside the walk-in cooler. Dry food particles and product spillage accumulated on bottom shelves of deli display case.”
Want a Coke or some other soda pop? “Stuck on product buildup and mold like substance accumulated on inside of soda nozzles.”
“Dry food particles and grease found on tongs used for lemons, pickled sausages and eggs at drink station.”
Cheeses and meats got tossed for not being kept cool enough.
Nourishe Organics International, 354 S. Cypress Dr., Tequesta: Like Glades Food Market, above, they’re in trouble for direct plumbing of the three-compartment sink.
Pa’que Rosa, 1518 W. Flagler St., Miami: There’s no water bill to show the drinking water comes from an approved source or sewer bill that shows Pa’que gets rid of its sewage in the proper way.
They need to come up with these before Feb. 4.
Pandebono Bakery, 10748 SW 72nd St., Miami: Even more bad plumbing — no air gap on the warewashing sink’s sewer drain line — got a Stop Use order dropped on the warewashing sink and all food dispensing utensils.
Rey Chavez Distributors, 3400 NW 62nd St., Miami: Rey Chavez’s green fliers are more familiar to people in Little Havana and Allapattah than this place is with inspectors. One hasn’t stepped in the dirt at Rey Chavez since October 2017.
It showed.
An employee was seen handling “toxic and unclean equipment” then not washing hands before working in the meat processing room.
A shelf over a cooking range was “found encrusted with dried food particles, right above uncovered pots holding cooked food items.”
The sinks in the back area meat department and retail seafood food service areas “were observed to be missing plumbing underneath, sewage discharging directly onto the floor inside these food service areas.”
Band saws in the fish and meat processing areas “with heavy oxidation being used as a fish scaler.”
“Shelves inside the reach-in refrigerator located at the cafeteria found soiled and encrusted with food particles.”
Sample Sunoco, 500 W. Sample Rd., Pompano Beach: Looks like gas station cheese can be just as dicey as gas station sushi.
Not only were the packages of yellow and white sliced American cheese in the reach-in deli cooler dangerously too warm by a few degrees, there was nothing saying how long they’d been open.
No hot water at the handwash sink in the employee restroom, but “flying insects too numerous to count by dry storage area.”
In the food service and back room areas, “Food debris, dirt, dust and trash on floors by hand sink, under prep tables, under stove, under storage racks, inside the walk-in cooler, on the floor by back room entrance, under the ware wash sink and storage shelves.”
MAJOR GROCERY SELLERS WHOSE STORES PASSED INSPECTION
Because there’s interest in the larger chains, we’ll tell you each week which ones had stores inspected, pass or fail, with hyperlinks to the inspection so you can check them out for yourself.
Costco: 16580 NW 59th Ave., Northwest Miami-Dade.
Presidente SuperMarket: 500 SW 8th St., Miami.
Publix: 1170 Weston Rd., Weston.
Aldi, Dollar General, Family Dollar, The Fresh Market, Sam’s Club, Sedano’s, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Whole Foods Market and Winn-Dixie did not have stores in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach or Monroe counties inspected last week.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 2:55 PM.
