Grocery store docked for dirty kitchen, moldy fish and bug zapper over prep area

A Hispanic grocery store chain had a less-than-stellar health inspection at its location just over the Coral Springs border in Margate.

Supermercados El Bodegón 3 needs a re-inspection after the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services docked the grocery store for violations including moldy fish, improper hand washing and a dirty kitchen.

Many of the issues were corrected during the inspection, and employees were educated about best practices.

An inspector and trainee visited the chain’s outpost at 8022 W. Sample Road on Feb. 25 and found the operator was out of compliance in areas including, “hot holding, cold holding, cooling, hand washing, consumer advisory and sanitation,” according to the report.

From a visual perspective, the grocery store’s back area wasn’t in great condition, according to the report. The inspector noted clean cutting boards sitting on the floor, greasy pots under the prep station, standing water on the floor in one part of the kitchen, a dirty walk-in cooler, brown stained ceiling tiles and a floor in disrepair.

One employee was seen taking out the trash and putting gloves on afterward without washing their hands, and another employee didn’t wash their hands long enough, the inspector said.

The agency issued a stop sale of several pre-made food items, including pork shoulder and bread pudding, because they weren’t being held at the proper temperature to prevent bacteria growth. The same went for pork skins, pigs feet, pre-prepared corn soup and some produce.

The inspector also discovered fish covered in “a white mold-like substance” in the walk-in cooler, the report reads. Lots of food was thrown out, including items that didn’t have labels indicating when they were made.

The grocery store was told it also needs to add labels to juices and repackaged fish and cheese with information such as the ingredients and the manufacturer’s name and address.

The inspector also cited the establishment for having an electric bug zapper stored above the prep table and deli slicers.

A representative from the agency is due to conduct a follow-up inspection by Friday, March 13.

There are seven Supermercados El Bodegón across South Florida, according to the chain’s website.