State food cops hit a Miami Beach favorite with a gut punch of an inspection, ordering Moises Bakery to toss more than 250 pounds of pastries after finding rodent droppings, live cockroaches and a laundry list of sanitation problems. The crackdown sidelined display cases and equipment while the Collins Avenue shop scrambles to clean up and clear a follow-up inspection. Moises Bakery, long known for its empanadas and pastries, will now have to prove it is safe enough to return to business as usual.
As reported by the Miami Herald, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspectors Pedro Llanos and Kaitlyn Loeb visited Moises Bakery at 7310 Collins Ave and documented both infestations and food-safety violations. According to the Herald, about 250 pounds of exposed baked goods were slapped with a stop-sale order, and several pieces of food-processing gear and utensils were placed under stop-use orders.
What inspectors found
The inspection report did not leave much to the imagination. Investigators with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services noted rodent droppings on a counter behind a microwave and next to a handwash sink, live roaches on the floor near a display cooler and even a live roach inside a drawer that was supposed to be holding clean utensils. They also logged temperature problems, including desserts sitting at up to 57°F, other chilled items between 43 and 47°F and hot-held foods registering from 114 to 121°F, all outside typical safety targets. Inspectors further found undated deli meats and a deli slicer that had not been washed, rinsed and sanitized within the required four-hour window.
Regulatory actions and next steps
The report ordered a stop-sale on exposed foods and imposed stop-use restrictions on affected equipment until staff can document thorough cleaning and pest-control efforts. It also warned that wider stop-use orders could follow if inspectors still see signs of infestation. Regulators scheduled a re-inspection on or before Monday, April 27, and, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the agency said it would extend stop-use orders to receiving areas if pest activity continues.
Bakery background
Moises Bakery runs its Miami Beach storefront at 7310 Collins Ave and operates a second location in Hallandale Beach, according to the bakery’s website. State business filings list Joaquin Bras as president and secretary and Philip Coleman as vice president and treasurer of Moises Bakery of Miami Inc., per Florida corporate records.
Public health context
This latest inspection lands in the middle of a broader crackdown that has seen restaurants around South Florida forced to dump food or shut down temporarily after inspectors found pests or risky food handling, a trend highlighted in a recent sweep of violations across South Florida earlier this year. Health officials say that visible pest activity, blocked handwash sinks and equipment that is not properly sanitized are among the quickest paths to a stop-sale order because they raise serious concerns that ready-to-eat foods may be contaminated…