Rodents in CVS, bugs in rice, and 1 chain with 2 stores among grocers failing inspection
Is your CVS the one that can’t get any new food because the inspector keeps seeing a rodent problem? Which supermarket chain had two stores fail state inspection?
Read our current list of Gross Grocers from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and discover.
What follows comes from Florida Department of Agriculture inspections of various food handling establishments (supermarkets, bodegas, food processing facilities, food storage facilities, convenience stores, etc.). If you see a place you believe should be inspected, click here and file a complaint. We don’t control who gets inspected. We report without passion or prejudice but with a BOGO special on humor.
And we go in alphabetical order:
Aroma Boca, 9200 Glades Rd., Boca Raton: That might not be icing — “assorted pastries and breads displayed in open service station without sneeze guard.”
Apparently, cleaning after use isn’t standard, as seen by the “accumulation of old fat and dry food particles found on coarse cutting plate, auger and interior surface of meat grinder and on wheels to bandsaw.” Also, in the produce area, “grease and food residue found on knife stored on knife holder above prep table.”
Sushi rolls, Israeli tomato salad and rotisserie chicken all tossed for not being kept at a temperature that discourages bacteria growth. A deli display case was improperly calibrated at 45 to 50 degrees, a problem when everything in it is supposed to be kept at 41 degrees or under. The display case got recalibrated, and beef liver, grilled chicken, baked salmon, potato patties, zucchini and squash got trashed.
The Blue Store, 2901 NW 19th St., Fort Lauderdale: This place passed a re-inspection on Thursday. Here are some reasons why a re-inspection was required after the Nov. 21 inspection.
“Rodent evidence in the back area near the shelving and along the peg board on the floor.
No soap at the handwash sinks on either side of the kitchen.
“Observed Capri Sun stored on floor that is sticky and filled with trash and not stored at least 6 inches above the floor.”
Outside, the trash runneth over the dumpster top, a problem the manager blamed on “the pick up and removal of the dumpster by Waste Management company.” It wasn’t the garbage guys’ fault that the “dumpster area and outside grounds with trash strewn all over grounds…”
Boca Mart, 198 NS 51st St., Boca Raton: All the deli meat and cheese got tossed for not being kept cool enough. And, if there’s anything warm that’ll turn your insides into Vesuvius, it’s deli meat and cheese.
Beef patties and empanadas in the not-hot-enough case also got tossed, but for being too cool. But the real problem seemed to be other, older, pieces of food.
“Heavy accumulation of dry food particles found on blade, surface around blade and on push guard of table top deli slicer. Heavy accumulation of dry food particles found on blade and interior surface of bagel slicer.”
“Dry food particles and soil found on knobs, baffle plate and back surface of slicer table. Product debris, dust and dirt found on bottom shelves of counters throughout deli.”
Broche, 2555 W. Third Ave., Hialeah: Broche is classified as “other perishable processing.” It’s one of those parts of the food production chain few people know about. After reading this, you might wish you didn’t know about it.
“Glue board used as fly trap with dead flies too numerous to count above sandwich processing table.”
“Observed employees working in the ready-to-eat sandwich line not washing hands because there is no hand sink available in the area.”
A slicer cutting through raw onions already had “a heavy encrustation of old food residue.”
Light fixtures in the cooler “where exposed foods are stored” and in the boiled eggs packing area lacked shields “to prevent physical contamination.”
Is there a Saran Wrap shortage? This won’t be the last time we see “Cooked foods being held on racks inside and outside of the cooler not covered and exposed to the environment.”
Here’s a list of the cooked foods that got trashed for not being kept warm enough on the steam table or the ready rack and table: yellow rice, breaded basa fillet, ham croquettes, spaghetti with tomato sauce, pork belly, beef liver and chicken nuggets.
Brothers Farmers market, 3429 N. Hiatus Rd., Sunrise: In the ware wash area, employees were observed not sanitizing food service tongs and deli slicer components before being dried.
That’s more bothersome than the way too warm bean sprouts and cut lettuce, which got tossed.
In the food service area, “Assorted deli meats including hams, salami and turkey not discarded when discard date was 11/16-11/24.”
This inspection was Dec. 4.
And, we’re really not sure what was going on here: “Kitchen area, crab cake mixture in bowl stored inside unclean garbage container.”
CVS Pharmacy, 1581 Lantana Rd., Lantana: This CVS got snowed in by a blizzard – it can’t get new food after a blizzard of Stop Use Orders threatened on Nov. 20 and that came down during the Dec. 4 re-inspection.
On Nov. 20, Inspector Syed Kaleem saw “rodent droppings in backroom storage area along the west and northwest walls. Retail area: observed rodent droppings under gondola next to backroom entrance door.”
Also, in the backroom, Kaleem spotted “dead bugs, packaging debris, and dust accumulation on floor in storage area.”
That’s enough to fail an inspection, even without retail area reach-in coolers with “black mold-like build up on the door gaskets.”
Inspector Kaleem warned CVS to get rid of the furry critters or consequences would result. Inspector Kaleem did not lie.
He returned Dec. 4. When he saw signs of rodent regularity in the retail area (“rodent droppings observed on bottom shelf of stationary rack. Rodent droppings observed on floor next to reach-in milk cooler”) and in the back room (“rodent droppings observed on floor in back storage room along west and south side of the walls. Rodent droppings observed on the top shelf of the wine racks.”), Kaleem brought consequences.
He dropped a Stop Use Order on all the receiving areas. No new food products for CVS until this store got its rodent situation under control.
Kaleem returned Friday “in response to request for release” of the Stop Use Order. Alas, “Rodent droppings observed, unable to release areas.”
Jorge Catering Services, 270 W. 25th St., Hialeah: Plenty of manos de sucio here. Dirty hands.
“Observed food employee exit, then re-enter kitchen to cut ready-to-eat steak without washing hands and changing gloves. In addition, observed lunch truck driver handling ready-to-eat pastries with bare hands in the pickup area.”
As for the pastries? Trashed.
“Flies, too numerous to count, in bakery area.”
“Heavy accumulation of food residue and soil on head and paddle of floor mixer.”
“Observed re-use of single service trays stored on rack in bakery, as evidenced by carbon buildup and wear on single service trays.”
Neither the sausage, shredded chicken, pork belly and pork chunks on the steam table, nor the taquitos, egg rolls, corn dog and tequenos on top of steam table shield were kept warm enough.
La Bodega Bestway, 11400 W. Flagler St., West Miami-Dade: Not saying this inspection showed reasons you’d want to pass on takeout from this place, but…
In the food service area, to-go containers were stored with wiping cloths and empty bottles inside a handwash sink.
Also in the food service area handwash sink? No soap for you. To be fair to the food service area, the same was true in the meat processing area handwash sink.
But perhaps the No. 1 reason you wouldn’t want takeout from this joint: “Bags of rice on shelves were infested with insects.”
The insects were getting into the bagged food. So, how good do you feel about “cut pumpkin found uncovered on food storage selves,” in the food processing area and frozen tamales not being covered in a walk-in freezer?
“Black mold and dry residues found on corners of meat band saw next to hand wash sink.” “Old, dry food substances on meat slicer next to warewash sink.”
And in that three-compartment warewash sink, no sanitizer was being used.
La Nica Products, 1177 NW 81st St., North Miami-Dade: Other Perishable Processing. “Plastic curtains located at first and second entrance door, as well as at the entrance door of the walk-in cooler with green mold-like stains and excessive dust accumulation.”
“Ceiling above processing area (appears) to be in disrepair.
No hand soap provided to the hand sink located in the processing area. Perhaps most disturbing about that is that there wasn’t even a “COS” attached on the inspection for “corrected on site.” It’s possible someone didn’t just forget to put the soap out. Maybe they just don’t have soap in the house.
Nahuen, 10375 NW 41st St., Doral: The processing area of this grocery store had an “insect detector installed over the hot holding unit across of processing table.”
Equipment with food crud? Coming right up! “Old food products buildup on a meat slicer and a meat grinder next to sausage and meat cold holding unit;” “old food residue on a knife next to handwash sink;” and “old food residue build up on a meat saw on table above trash can.”
In the meat processing area, there was “blood spillage on bottom of reach in cooler where all packaged meat stored.” Hopefully, only the blood of the dead mammal packaged and none of the mammals doing the packaging.
We don’t know where you store your cleaning goods, but usually it’s under (a sink) or inside (a closet, a garage) not on a food prep surface. “Sanitizer bucket was on the processing table next to a cutting board” and “toxic spray bottles stored on a meat cutting board.”
Price Choice Food Market, 1941 NW Ninth Ave., Fort Lauderdale: “Cases containing raw chicken, beef and pork products stored inside walk-in cooler under dripping condensate.”
And when the meat gets brought to the meat department, “meat grinder stored next to heat wrapper with old food debris was first used at 8 a.m. and not yet cleaned properly at 2 p.m.” Also, “bandsaw used to cut beef next to the chicken display coolers with dried on, old food accumulation. Bandsaw used to cut chicken with old food debris and buildup.”
In both the meat area and the back room, “dust and debris accumulation on fan guards inside walk-in cooler.”
“Brown soil buildup on inside ledge of ice machine.
In the meat area, “knives stored between wall and prep table next to walk-in cooler.”
We’re sure that wall is clean enough to lick. At least, customers better hope it is.
Price Choice Food Market, 4500 NW 183rd St., Miami Gardens: Another Price Choice, this one with “water leaking from a condensation unit on top of multiple pounds of raw turkey drumsticks located inside reach in display cooler.”
Also, Inspector Jose Pavon saw “water leaking from condensation unit located inside reach in display cooler were open meats are held.”
None of that likely bothered the “live roaches crawling around plastic tubs and throughout” the kitchen area.
Inspector Pavon dropped Stop Use Orders on the meat display case, the food processing and equipment in the kitchen. He dropped back by Thursday and released the meat display case Stop Use Order, but kept the ones on the kitchen equipment.
24/7 Food Store, 252 Military Trail, West Palm Beach: Wonder if someone’s sliced turkey or ham had a dash of a soapy aftertaste.
The inspector saw an employee “cut deli meat with same single use gloves used for washing dishes.”
In other deli meat failings, apparently the Tupperware crisis is real because “deli meat not covered inside small deli cooler in kitchen.” Also, in the back room, “chicken wings in container and raw pork not covered inside chest freezer in back storage area.”
And, “Black soil-like accumulation inside ice chute of soda fountain machine.”
