A dead bug in eggs, ‘washing’ hands without soap among this week’s Gross Grocers
This week’s Gross Grocers list shrank, as America wipes down work spaces, door handles, each other and tries to think of ways to time 20 seconds while washing hands.
But five places in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach still managed to fail inspection.
What follows comes from Florida Department of Agriculture inspections of supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas station minimarts, food processors, food storage facilities, etc. If you see a problem with a place, 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 in the express lane.
Listed in alphabetical order.
The Bagel Shop & Deli, 9810 Alternate AIA, Palm Beach Gardens: The Bagel Shop seemed to have a hole in its cleaning procedures.
“Food processing area: observed dried food particles behind the baffle plate and near the manual guide on the slicer at the prep table near the walk-in freezer.”
“Cutting board and knives used since 6 a.m. not washed every four hours...
“Washed and rinsed utensils not sanitized before air drying.”
Frozen coffee cubes not covered in the walk-in.
Some temperature abuse went down in the condiment reach-in cooler with the sliced deli meats, cheeses, chicken salad, tailored ham, sausages, hash browns and smoked salmon. Everybody out of the cool and into the garbage.
Capri Bakery, 817 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach: We start with the oxymoron in the headline: “Food processing area: observed employee washing hands without using hand wash soap.”
Who needs soap? Or hot water? Food processing area: “hot water valve turned off to hand sink next to stove/ grill area.”
Another employee (or, maybe the same one, the inspection wasn’t clear) didn’t wash hands before putting on gloves.
In the backroom area, the “ceiling, walls and shelving in the walk-in cooler have a mold-like substance on them.”
What don’t you want to see after mold all over the walk-in cooler? “Various food left uncovered in walk-in cooler, inside single door, upright reach-in freezer, inside working cooler and inside double door reach-in freezer.”
Also, in the bakery area, “broken lids for bulk containers of rice, bakery items, and beans.”
There’s way too much stuff going on in the food processing area. Such as “slicer, cutting board and knives not washed, rinsed and sanitized” every four hours as required.
“Observed employee not wearing effective hair restraint while working with open foods.”
Chef Ness Bakery Boca, 7160 Beracasa Way, Boca Raton: Here, we have the running of the roaches.
In the backroom, “live roaches in restroom door frame and crawling on the floor near the three-compartment sink.” In the bakery area, “observed several live roaches on the floor behind the dough mixer, near the walk-in cooler and on the wall adjacent to the bakery oven.”
Can somebody give the bakery area of the bakery a wipe down? “Dried food particles built up on the underside of several prep tables and the walk-in cooler door handle.”
This can be a long term problem. “Bakery area: floor paints peeling off throughout the area.”
Devine Food Store, 2007 NW 2st Ave., Fort Lauderdale: Where to start on an inspection that’s about as ugly as Devine?
This seems like a good place. “Retail area — mold and adulteration found on tomatoes stored inside the reach-in cooler. Dead insect found inside container of pickled eggs in walk-in cooler.”
There’s no way to dry your hands in the food service handwash sink. That’s if you can get to it. “Partial wall, door and microwave installed in front of hand sink..”
In the kitchen, they maybe need to take a cloth or some Bounty to the ‘fridge. “Unwrapped sausages and cut vegetables stored in direct contact with soil and product spillage inside drawer in service refrigerator.”
That refrigerator and the deli service cooler had containers of cooked food without lids. Somebody’s got time to make a Tupperware run because they clearly aren’t spending time cleaning.
Also, blighting the kitchen, “dry food particles found on food service utensils hanging on rack next to stove” and “several flying insects flying in the food processing area” of the kitchen.
Here’s all the food that got tossed for being kept at temperatures conducive for bacteria breeding: cooked sausage, bacon, eggs, a bag of shredded cheese, a container of butter (those last two were at room temperature), a pan of cooked chicken, cream cheese, hot dogs, cut leafy green salads.
Larte Bianco Bakery, 12572 SW 88th St., South Miami-Dade: When you’re trying to protect against a potential pandemic, this can be disconcerting, “no employee health policy available in food establishment.”
Food-handling workers were spotted not washing hands before putting on gloves to handle food or after “entering/exiting the various processing areas to handle food items.”
Those are single use gloves, which is why they still shouldn’t be worn, “after opening the walk-in cooler doors to obtain food items and then going to handle food items for customers in various processing areas.
“No paper towels available at the hand sink next to the coffee machine.”
This inspection was Monday, March 2. Spinach quiche and cheesecake were made and put in the walk-in on Feb. 18. Basura.
Same for the spinach quiche, cheesecake, chantilly cream cakes and leche asada in a poorly functioning glass display unit.
“No splash guard available between the hand sink and sugar containers.”
Trujillo Oil, 3325 NW 62nd St., Miami: This isn’t a gas station minimart, but “Other Perishable Processing.”
And be leery of the blue cheese dressing processed here. It’s an acidified food and “There is no one at the facility that has attended a better processing school in order to process acidified foods.”
Maybe that’s why “there are no monitoring records for the hold time of your acidified blue cheese dressing. According to the process authority letter, the product must be held above 50 degrees for a minimum of 14.5 days before entering commerce.”
So, “as per your email dated 03/04/2020, you will not process the shelf stable Blue Cheese Dressing till you have controls in place to assure the safe production of this product.”
There was a bird in the storage area where finished product and packing materials are stored.
“Observed a hand washing sink leading to the production area installed under metal grid stairs and exposed to contaminants from traffic from up and down stairs.”
MAJOR CHAINS WITH STORES THAT PASSED INSPECTION
Dollar General: 902 SW 10th St., Delray Beach;
The Fresh Market: 4633 N. University Dr., Coral Springs
Publix: 7050 Seminole Pratt Whitney Rd., Loxahatchee; 3251 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Walmart: 4301 S. University Dr., Davie
