Old pork and broken knives among inspection problems at a Broward Presidente

The first violation listed on the most recent state inspection of a Pompano Beach Presidente Supermarket set the tone for the rest:

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“A pattern of non-compliance was observed as evidenced by violations for handwashing, cooling, hot holding, and sanitization.”

That’s the start of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Inspector Timothy O’Neil’s report on his Oct. 5 visit to the Presidente at 277 S. Pompano Pkwy.

Here’s some of what O’Neil saw.

In the kitchen, a “food employee did not wash hands before donning new gloves when returning to department to work with open food.”

“Three knives used in food preparation have broken blades” in the produce department and another trio had the same problem in the kitchen.

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“Beef sirloin that was being cut on meat cutting benches…that had not been sanitized in over four hours.”

But, that was just an unwashed piece of the problem in the meat department, where cutting benches, the deli slicer, ban saws, knives and scrapers first used at 7 a.m. weren’t cleaned and sanitized by 12:30 p.m.”

Meat department knives stored on walls were attached to a magnetic knife holder that had a build up of rust.

The lower shelves of kitchen prep tables “have a build up of old food debris” as did containers of rice and flour under the prep tables and racks over the prep tables.

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The styrofoam trays used in the meat department weren’t in their original container, so they could catch dust, spittle and anything else flying through the air. The same could be said for styrofoam cups and containers near the steam table.

O’Neil saw a “large buildup of dust and black soil on and near various cooler doors.”

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The “knock board for coffee grounds has a buildup of old food debris.”

(Digression: Technically, it’s a violation for the knock board to sit in a garbage can, as it does in almost every South Florida location that serves cafecito.)

In the meat service area, wet wiping cloths sat “on cutting tables next to bandsaws” and on food service area prep tables instead of wallowing in a bucket of sanitizer.

Some of the deli food could’ve been used for zombie dishes because they should’ve been dead and gone already, seven days past opening. Cooked ham should’ve been tossed on Oct. 4 preceded by low sodium ham on Oct. 3. Habanero mortadella should’ve been gone Oct. 2. Smoked Canadian bacon should’ve been on its way to the trash during the Oct. 5 inspection.

Stop Sales came down on all.

Also getting Stop Sales were watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe cut at 8:30 a.m., but measuring a too warm 46 to 51 degrees at 1 p.m. A can of tomato purée in the kitchen got hit with a Stop Sale for measuring a near room temperature 76 degrees five hours after opening.

As for the food kept in hot storage, supposedly at or above 135 degrees, these measured 81 degrees to 124 degrees four hours after being made: potato, cheese, ham, chorizo, chicken, beef and chicken, beef and chicken pastelitos, croquetas, empanadas, ham and cheese empanadas and french fries. Stop Sales sent all to the garbage.

Raw salted cod fillets and fish heads put in the seafood display case at 7 a.m. measured 51 degrees, about 10 degrees too warm, at noon. Stop Sale and Stop Sale, basura and basura.

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