With a plethora of bugs in the bakery, rodents doing their business and faulty equipment, a Pompano Beach grocery store had to throw out pounds of chicken, bacon, fish and stop using its food processing area.
These are just some of the consequences for Kings Mart, 250 NW 31st Ave., after Francis Odio of the Florida Department of Agriculture stopped by the store on Friday for an inspection.
Inspector Odio saw many reasons to attack Kings Mart with the two most powerful weapons of an Agricultural Department inspector, the Stop Sale Order and the Stop Use Order.
Here’s some of what the inspector found:
In the back room, “three containers of breading found with live insects.” Odio ruled out Stop Sales on the breading in the three bulk breading containers.
Odio saw a “black mold-like substance… inside the ice machine.” This is a stop use order of the ice machine.
Additionally, the inspector saw an “accumulation of dust and debris on the floor, wall and fan guards inside the refrigerator” in the back room.
Food spoons should have handles and be stored so that the handles, which can be held by possibly dirty or gloved hands, do not touch the food. But a “disposable cup” (without handle) was used as a scoop for the grain container in the storeroom. Furthermore, the handle of the spoon was “in direct contact” with the container used to coat the flour.
“Recently produced rodent droppings on beverage storage shelves.” A huge stop-use order crushed the entire backroom.
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In both the food processing area and the retail area where groceries are sold, “numerous flying insects are observed throughout the establishment.”
“Accumulation of black mold-like substances on beverage slides and dust on shelves inside refrigerator.”
“Accumulation of heavy dust, debris and excrement on dry storage shelves.”
“Heavy accumulation of ice and dirt inside the freezer located next to the storage room.”
“Old food remains embedded in various kitchen utensils stored inside a bucket next to a flat grill.”
“Accumulation of old food remains on the interior walls and microwave door.”
“Tweezers in use since 9am have not yet been washed, rinsed and sanitized at 2pm” It’s five o’clock. They must be washed, rinsed and sanitized every four hours.
“Accumulation of grease, dust and black substances on the floor and walls around the kitchen and in the three-compartment sink.”
The green refrigerator, which is supposed to keep food below 41 degrees, “was found in poor condition with an ambient temperature of 64 degrees. The accessible prep refrigerator was equally useless, with an ambient temperature of 66 degrees. The back walk-in cooler measured 54 degrees. Stop using orders issued everywhere.
No single food thermometer, advisable for home kitchens and necessary for commercial kitchens.
When Inspector Odio saw that “there were no probe thermometers available to evaluate, receive, and store temperature-controlled food for safety,” a stop-use order halted action in the food processing area.
Odio grabbed a thermometer and found sliced cheese, liquid egg, shredded cheese, raw fish, raw chicken, pork sausage and raw bacon in the food processing area that measured 43 to 54 degrees. Then Odio found in the retail area “various food items, including packages of popcorn chicken, potatoes, grains and sausage patties… with internal temperatures between 84 and 120 degrees.” Additionally, “hot dogs, sliced cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese measured 53 to 57 degrees.” Five dozen James Eggs were 53 degrees, while two boxes of James Eggs in the refrigerator measured 56 degrees. Food needs to be kept in cold storage (the aforementioned 41 degrees or less) or hot storage (above 135 degrees). Stop-sale orders swept all of this into the trash.
Inspector Odio saw an “accumulation of dead insects found on retail shelves and inside walk-in coolers” and “heavy accumulation of dust, debris and soil inside all walk-in coolers at the establishment.”
A spoon serving boiled peanuts at the cash register had been doing its job since 9am, with no break for washing, rinsing and sanitizing until 2pm. That’s an hour longer.
Outside, there was “an accumulation of trash and debris inside the dumpster.”
Kings Mart sold hemp extract products without proper permission.
Stop sell orders: Two cartons and five dozen eggs, sliced cheese, liquid egg, shredded cheese, raw fish, raw chicken, pork sausage patty, raw bacon, popcorn chicken, potatoes, grits, sausage patty, hot dog, sliced cheese and grated mozzarella cheese.
Discontinuance of Use Requests: The back area as space and the back ice machine; the walk-in refrigerator; green range refrigerator; range prep cooler; and all food processing areas (due to lack of food thermometers).
