Another major South Florida supermarket chain, a notable bakery chain and a repeat offender highlight this edition of Gross Grocers, grocery sellers in Miami-Dade or Broward that failed inspection.
The part you should read, but probably skip: Unlike Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspections of restaurants, failing doesn’t mean a store gets closed until it passes. But parts of the store can be put under a Stop Use order until the problem gets properly addressed. Obviously, if a place gets enough Stop Use orders, it might not have enough parts it can use to make opening worthwhile.
What follows comes from Florida Department of Agriculture inspection of supermarkets and food distributors in Miami-Dade and Broward. If you want a place inspected or want to report a problem, don’t email us. Go to the Department of Agriculture website and file a complaint.
We don’t decide who gets inspected or how strictly they get inspected. We report without passion or prejudice, but with a cart full of humor.
in alphabetical order…
CAO Bakery & Cafe, 7830 Coral Way, West Miami-Dade: This chain comes from the folks that brought you Vicky Bakery. This inspection looks like it comes from the same folks who brought you “The Amityville Horror.”
“Numerous black flies found sitting directly on guava and meat pastries located on trays on two rolling racks across from the large oven.”
Also, in the food service and kitchen areas, “numerous black flies observed flying around the various processing areas, landing on counters, preparation tables, bottles and containers housing sauces and food items.”
We could stop right there.
We won’t.
“Orange, mold-like grime encrusted on the ice-making portion of the ice machine located near the register.”
A food employee was seen just rinsing fingers with cold water, no soap, at the handwashing sink near the orange juice machine. At the handwashing sinks near the kitchen coffee machine and the warewashing sink, there were no soap or paper towels.
In the food service area, “multiple stainless steel tongs” were washed, rinsed, but not sanitized. Still, that’s better than a kitchen slicer, which still had “old food residue crusted on the blade, guard and food holding attachment” from the previous day.
The turkey and genoa salami products in the cold unit of the back room were open, but nobody knew for how long. Basura.
As for food that met the same fate because it wasn’t kept warm enough (above 135 degrees) or cool enough (below 41 degrees), there was enough to feed West Miami: spinach empanadas; chicken empanadas; fried ham and cheese empanadas; fried chicken empanadas; house ham croquettes; beef papa rellena; beef pastries; egg and cheese croissants; ham and cheese pastries; Colombian chicken empanadas; beef empanadas; strawberry cheesecake slices; bread pudding; flan, and tres leches.
Family Dollar, 951 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale: By the standards of past Family Dollar inspection fails, which seemed to require less deep cleaning and more “military flamethrower,” this is a touch foul.
“Observed live roach crawling on the floor around the candy shelf.” A Stop Use Order got dropped on the register area shelving.
Another problem in the retail area was “heavy buildup of dirt, trash and debris visible underneath open shelving units” along with “damaged items in the back area.”
Iberia Food Corporation, 12300 NW 32nd Ave., North Miami-Dade: A dead rodent caught on a glue trap by a bay door, another dead Jerry on a glue board in the dry bean storage area and rodent droppings on the top of boxes of saltine crackers went a long way to this place failing.
“No paper towels or hand soap at the hand sink next to the warewash sink and the bean packing area.”
Here’s something to think about the next time you reach for the cooking sherry. “There is no overhead protection for the bottling line of cooking wine. Overhead protection must be installed over any open bottles until the caps are placed on the bottles.”
A Pollo Tropical and a rodent on a front counter among South Florida restaurant filth
Kiko’s International Market, 7818 NW 44th St., Lauderhill: Back-to-back Gross Grocers list appearances for Kiko’s.
In the meat area, “Knives and cutting boards used to cut meat have not been cleaned for more than four hours.”
Many cheeses in the reach-in cooler — packs of gouda, mozzarella, cheddar and other cheeses — got tossed for being too warm (between 43 and 53 degrees).
“Wet nesting foudn in bowls and containers stacked on the storage rack near the handwashing sink.”
In the kitchen, deli and meat processing areas, “Employees not wearing hair restraints while working in food processing areas.”
Ocho Rios-Miami, 3675 NW 71st St., Miami: In the dry storage area, the inspector saw “a pallet with nibbled boxes containing jars of Jamaican mild heat jerk seasoning as well as rodent droppings located on top and inside boxes on the top layer of the pallet.”
A Stop Use Order hit 24 10-ounce jars of Jamaican jerk seasoning.
Sedano’s, 8601 W. Bird Rd., West Miami-Dade: Now, at least one store from each of South Florida’s major supermarket chains has had a store fail inspection since the start of May.
In the seafood area, “old food residue on the inside of the unit next to the band saw blade and black residue remaining behind the upper wheel of the bandsaw next to the ware washing sink.”
The ice machine in the seafood area featured “black, mold-like growth found on the white plastic guard where ice contacts after falling from the chute.” Similarly, the ice machine in the cafe area featured, “black, mold-like growth along the top portion of the ice maker and under the white plastic flap contacting the ice.”
Equipment problems led to a busload of food being dumped for temperature abuse that can turn them in to bacteria boats.
A kitchen handwashing sink had no hot water.
Cut honeydew; cut mixed melons; cut watermelons; trays of boiled pork belly; fried sweet plantains; chicken cordon bleu; sliced ham and cheese pastelitos; beef empanadas; Colombian beef empanadas; Colombian chicken empanadas; chicken empanadas; cheese empanadas; Colombian cheese empanadas; Rotisserie chicken; cheese subs; ham and cheese subs; ham subs; turkey, cheese and cranberry sandwiches; ham and American cheese sandwiches; egg and American cheese sandwiches; egg and white cheese sandwiches; and Spanish omelets.
Wise Spice Catering Company, 196 W. 25th St., Hialeah: With the front door open throughout the inspection, “live flies in several areas, mainly located in the self-service retail area.”
A pot washer “didn’t properly conduct the wash, rinse and sanitize needed at the warewashing sink.”
The inspector saw employees going in and out of the processing areas “sometimes changing gloves, but no handwashing being conducted. Observed employees while outside the ready-to-eat processing area, touching various equipment, door handles, boxes, trash cans, then proceeding to processing with the same gloves and no handwashing.”