CELEBRATION, FL. A state inspector visiting Alma Argentina on West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway on May 8 found that staff could not demonstrate any allergen awareness, a violation that puts the 32 million Americans living with food allergies at direct risk every time they order from a menu.
That was one of seven high-severity violations documented during the inspection. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The allergen citation was not the only violation with direct consequences for customers. Inspectors also found that the restaurant had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, meaning diners had no way of knowing which menu items carried that risk. Argentine cuisine frequently features preparations involving undercooked beef.
Toxic chemicals were cited twice in the same inspection, once for improper storage or labeling and again for improper identification, storage, or use. Both violations appeared on the same day's report.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, a finding that touches every dish that leaves the kitchen. Inspectors also documented improper handwashing technique, meaning that even when employees attempted to wash their hands, the technique left pathogens behind. There was no written employee health policy on site.
The intermediate violations rounded out a grim picture. Inspectors cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The allergen violation is among the most immediately dangerous findings in this inspection. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 people to emergency rooms in the United States each year, and reactions can be fatal. When staff cannot demonstrate allergen awareness, a customer who discloses a nut or shellfish allergy has no reliable protection. The kitchen may not know which dishes contain which allergens, and cross-contact during preparation can happen without anyone recognizing the risk.
The dual toxic chemical citations compound that concern. Chemicals stored near food or improperly labeled can contaminate a dish without any visible sign. Mislabeled containers are particularly dangerous because a worker reaching for a sanitizer may grab a caustic cleaner instead, and the error may not be caught before food is served.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces are one of the most well-documented vectors for bacterial transfer in commercial kitchens. Cutting boards, prep surfaces, and utensils that carry residue from one use to the next can move Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria directly onto the next meal prepared on that surface.
The sewage and toilet facility violations add a separate layer of risk. Improper wastewater disposal introduces the possibility of fecal contamination spreading through the facility. Inadequate toilet facilities reduce the likelihood that employees use them and wash their hands properly afterward, which connects directly back to the handwashing technique violation found in the same inspection.
The Longer Record
The May 8 inspection was not an outlier. It was the sixth inspection on record for Alma Argentina, and the facility has accumulated 56 total violations across those visits.
The pattern of high-severity violations goes back to at least January 2024, when inspectors documented six high-severity citations in a single visit. That was followed by eight high-severity violations in October 2024, six more in December 2025, and now seven in May 2026. The sole inspection in the record that produced no high-severity or intermediate violations was in September 2023.
Every inspection since that clean visit has included at least four high-severity citations. The December 2025 inspection, just five months before this one, produced the same count of three intermediate violations alongside six high-severity findings. The categories have shifted slightly from visit to visit, but the volume has not.
The facility has never been emergency-closed.
Still Open
Alma Argentina is located in Celebration, the master-planned community southwest of Orlando that draws a mix of residents and tourists visiting the Walt Disney World corridor. The restaurant sits on West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, a stretch heavily traveled by visitors to the area.
After the May 8 inspection, with seven high-severity violations on record including no allergen awareness, toxic chemicals improperly stored, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, the restaurant remained open for business.