Food contact equipment not sanitized and unsafe food at a Miami Presidente Supermarket

A state inspection of a Miami Presidente Supermarket on Tuesday resulted in unsafe food tossed out and the deli department taken out of action for proper sanitizing.

The store remains open despite the failing inspection from the Florida Department of Agriculture. Unlike restaurant inspectors from the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Ag Department inspectors can’t close down a supermarket, convenience store or food facility for a failed inspection. They can, however, slap food with Stop Sale Orders and put Stop Use Orders on areas or equipment.

Inspector Julio Azpurua pulled out those powers Tuesday when he visited 500 SW Eighth St., at the east end of Calle Ocho and Little Havana.

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Here’s some of what the inspector found:

▪ In the meat, backroom and deli areas, “mold-like growth and stains accumulated on multiple plastic curtains at the entrance of the various departments and in the walk-in freezer and coolers throughout the establishment.”

▪ The receiving area’s entry doors were open during the inspection, “which does not effectively protect against pest entry.” Also, the pieces were missing from the plastic curtains.

▪ The meat department had “old food debris, dirt and dust accumulated on shelves above the preparation tables.”

▪ “Plumbing system not installed to preclude backflow of a solid, liquid, or gas contaminant into the water supply system at each point of use,” in the meat department and the receiving area. That stink of that solid and/or liquid backflow gives away its content.

▪ Over in the deli department, an employee said none of the deli slicers, cutting boards, utensils or the meat grinder — the food contact equipment — were sanitized after being cleaned. A Stop Use Order covered the deli department equipment and food processing areas until staff executed a thorough cleaning.

▪ That cleaning included hands. “Employee did not wash hands between entering and exiting food preparation area and handling food items.”

▪ A deli area employee worked with food but without a hair restraint.

▪ Stop Sales came down on “multiple packages of deli cheese, turkey, and ham” in the deli display case. They needed to be at or below 41 degrees to prevent from being bad bacteria breeding grounds. Instead, they measured 47 to 49 degrees. The malfunctioning cold unit’s ambient temperature was 45 to 49 degrees.

▪ Stop Use on the cold unit until it was repaired and Stop Sale on all the food.

▪ Then again, how could staff know how off the cold unit was? There wasn’t a probe thermometer in the store “to ensure safe foods.”

▪ Raw fish stored in reduced oxygen packaging wasn’t being thawed according to the strict directions. Stop Sale on the fish.

▪ The deli area’s sanitizing solution in a spray bottle measured over 400 parts per million, too concentrated.

▪ “Multiple pallets of water bottle packages found stored outside next to the receiving dock, uncovered and exposed to direct sunlight.”

▪ “Foam meat trays stored on a shelf are not kept in the original protective package,” in the meat department.

▪ Other meat department foam meat trays were “encrusted with dry meat and blood residue on a shelf above the meat preparation table next to the walk-in cooler.” A Stop Use hit those trays.

▪ Wiping cloths should be kept in sanitizer solution when workers aren’t wiping with them. These cloths sat on food prep tables.