107 pieces of mice dung here, 65 pieces there, plus 2 more grocers that failed inspection
This week’s Gross Grocers list features a place with 107 pieces of mice poop, including a whole lot of rodent regularity in the women’s restroom and another place with brown “mold-like” stuff in the ice machine.
And, of course, we hyperlink to the passed inspections of major chains.
What follows comes from Florida Department of Agriculture inspections of South Florida’s places that sell food that aren’t solely restaurants: supermarkets, mid-size groceries, convenience stores/minimarts, food distributors, food processors, etc. If you see a problem and you want the place inspected, do not email us. Click here and file a complaint.
We check out Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties. We don’t control who gets inspected or how strictly. We report without passion or prejudice, but bring coupons for humor.
In alphabetical order:
Bees & Berries, 410 E. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach: This is a non-perishable food processor and this is the kind of inspection that should require the company release the distributors, restaurants or stores to which it sells.
We’ll turn it over to Inspector Shauna-Gaye Cox while we see if anybody put free food out in the middle of the newsroom.
“Approximately 20 mice excreta were observed on the floor next to the toilet in the women’s restroom near the front kitchen area.
“Approximately 58 mice excreta were observed on the floor and wooden ledge behind the reach down freezer chest in the bar area.
“Approximately eight mice excreta were observed on the shelf below the metal storage table opposite the non-functioning refrigerated display case in the front kitchen area.
“Approximately 21 mice excreta were observed on the shelf below the food prep table opposite the one-door reach-in refrigerator in the front.
“Brown grease approximately 1/8-inch thick was observed on the floor behind the convection oven in the front kitchen.”
Hola Fuel, 4703 S. Military Trail, Lake Worth: Nothing was getting properly washed in the food processing area.
Not the utensils, which weren’t being sanitized. Not hands because there was no hot water at the hand wash sink here or in the food service area. A Stop Use got dropped on all the food processing until that got fixed during the inspection.
And the beans in the deep metal pan from the previous day still were 10 degrees too warm, despite being put in the walk-in cooler. Basura.
Le Petit Pain, 410 E. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach: Google says this place, which shares an address with Bees & Berries above, is permanently closed. But this inspection just took place Wednesday.
Apparently, an address isn’t the only thing it shared with Bees & Berries. Back to you, Inspector Cox...
“Approximately 20 mice excreta were observed on the floor next to and behind the three-door reach-in refrigerator in the kitchen.
“Approximately 25 mice excreta were observed on the floor below the hand wash sink in the kitchen.
“Approximately 20 mice excreta were observed on the floor throughout the rear storage room. The front door was observed open with no barrier to prevent pests from entering the establishment.
“A heavy accumulation of brown liquid approximately 0.25 of an inch in depth was observed on the floor behind and next to the three-door reach-in refrigerator in the kitchen; and white and brown food debris approximately 0.25 of an inch thick was observed on the floor below the dough roller in the kitchen.”
Interestingly, Infusions Café and Secret Garden Café, A Culinary Incubator, two other places at this address of what looks like an overgrown ranch house, both passed Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspections on Jan. 21 with but two violations.
Samer Food Market and Takeout, 2800 NW 21st Ave., Oakland Park: Nobody knew how long the cooked spaghetti, pig tail, barbecue turkey and peas had been there. So, they all got tossed.
The ice machine in the backroom got hit with a Stop Use order for a “heavy accumulation of brown, mold-like substance found on ice chute and interior surfaces of ice machine.”
When employees used the toilet room, they couldn’t wash their hands with hot water. There was none.
These folks can’t find some Tupperware? “Several containers of cooked foods and raw meats stored uncovered on shelves inside walk-in cooler.”
Butter sat on the a table by the stove. Think it might’ve been, oh, about 21 degrees too warm for safe use. It was and it was tossed.
An air conditioning unit above a handwashing sink had cob webs, as did ceilings in the food preparation area.
In the retail area, “Heavy accumulation of food debris on exterior surfaces of crock pot. Soil and dust on door sliders of frozen novelty case,” “dry food particles and product spillage found on table top of boiled peanut station” and “dust and dirt on retail shelving units. Heavy buildup of lifted floor tiles, food debris and dirt accumulated around retail shelving, in corner by back room entrance and under boiled peanut station. Heavy dust accumulation on ceiling above boiled peanut station.”
(There’s way too much going on around that boiled peanut station.)
“Dust and dirt on retail shelving units.”
The kitchen had a “heavy accumulation of carbon, grease and dry food particles on interior surfaces of oven, on frying baskets, and interior surfaces of fryer” as well as “heavy trash, dust, dirt and food debris accumulated on floors under and around stove, prep table, and hand sink.”
STORES OF MAJOR CHAINS THAT PASSED INSPECTION
Dollar General: 10000 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines.
Dollar Tree: 1230 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach; 1336 N. Federal Hwy., Delray Beach.
Presidente: 4753 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach.
Publix: 9720 Clint Moore Rd., Boca Raton; 11650 W. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton.
Sam’s Club: 950 N. University Dr., Coral Springs.
Whole Foods: 12150 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 2:46 PM.
