State inspectors say a Price Choice supermarket in north Miami-Dade was harboring mold inside ice machines, day-old food left on equipment and a grab bag of sanitation issues that led to stop-use and stop-sale orders on display coolers, plus the disposal of food stored at unsafe temperatures.
What Inspectors Documented
Inspectors Pedro Llanos and Kaitlyn Loeb logged dozens of violations during the visit. Their report notes clamshells of tamarind sitting in a handwash sink beside a large ice machine, packaged raw meat and a bucket of fish thawing in the wash basin of the three-compartment sink, and two deli slicers with visible soil and food debris. They also documented cutting boards so deeply grooved they could not be properly sanitized, a juicer attracting numerous small flying insects and employees skipping handwashing before pulling on gloves, according to the Miami Herald.
Department Action and Enforcement
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has the authority to issue stop-use and stop-sale orders when equipment or food presents a potential health risk, which can sideline display cases or force food to be tossed until problems are fixed. On its site, the agency explains that inspectors document violations, pull unsafe products out of circulation and require follow-up visits before restricted foods or equipment are allowed back in service, according to FDACS.
Temperatures, Mold and Unsafe Storage
During the inspection, salted fish packs in reach-in coolers were clocked at roughly 47°F to 53°F, above safe holding temperatures. Inspectors responded with stop-use orders on the deli and seafood display coolers and sent the temperature-abused products to the trash. They also reported black, mold-like buildup on the interior walls and ledges of a large ice machine, plus heavy accumulation in a smaller unit near the receiving door, and noted that the receiving door and an outdoor dumpster were left open at the time, per the Miami Herald…