Bird poop among issues at a Miami food distributor that says it serves military, schools
State inspectors found unusual filth in the hand wash room and on food packing equipment — among other problems — at a Miami Gardens food processing facility.
The Oct. 29 Florida Department of Agriculture inspection of Doral Food Distributors, 990 NW 166th St., runs counter to the company’s website claim that “Our warehouses maintain the most rigorous standards, routinely monitoring product quality and safety while ensuring customer satisfaction.”
That’s on the same “Who We Serve” website page on which Doral Foods claims it serves government and military installations, elementary, middle and high schools, colleges and restaurants. Those customers might be surprised to read the violation that “the food establishment is not registered as a Food Facility with the FDA.”
Here are some of the other violations Inspectors Gretchen Rhodes and James Zheng found at the facility for Doral Foods, run by President Ramon Sepulveda.
▪ There was an “overall lack of good housekeeping practices throughout the facility.”
▪ “Live birds were observed flying in main warehouse area where food products are stored.” Thus, there was no surprise that “bird excrement was observed on boxes of beurre de cuisine cooking oil, corn oil, chips with bacon flavor, and aloe vera drinks.”
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▪ In the hand wash room next to the dry packing room, “the hand sink, three-compartment sink, and mop sink had excessive soil accumulation and old drink cans stored inside.”
▪ The “dry food product packing equipment (grain hopper, grain elevator, gravity feeders, inkjet labeler and sealer) located in the grain packaging room were found with heavy soil and dust.” It was so bad, that the inspectors dropped a Stop Use Order on the equipment.
▪ “Multiple water-damaged ceiling tiles in the dry packaging room.”
▪ “Multiple holes in the walls in the main warehouse, where food is stored.”
▪ “Old dust and debris observed on the fans and the ceiling ventilation fan in the main warehouse space.”
▪ “Old food debris and grime observed on the floor of the refrigerated shipping container where salted fish products are stored.”
▪ “There is no HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plan in place to control the hazards of clostridium botulinum growth and toxin formation; pathogenic bacterial growth and toxin formation; and scombrotoxin formation” involved in handling salted and smoked fish.”
Stop Use Order: Dry food packing equipment.
This story was originally published November 10, 2024 at 2:41 PM.
