DELAND, FL. Back in February 2026, state food safety inspectors walked into Arav Apopka Inc., a convenience store on the packaged ice and food service program, and found chicken tenders fresh out of the fryer registering internal temperatures of only 135 to 137 degrees Fahrenheit. State food code requires poultry to reach at least 165 degrees before it is served.
The chicken went back into the fryer and was cooked to the required temperature before inspectors left. But the undercooked poultry was one of two priority violations documented during the February 11 visit, part of a ten-violation inspection that also turned up a leaking handwash sink, food stored directly on floors throughout the building, and no current laboratory analysis of the store's packaged ice.
What Inspectors Found
The second priority violation involved a can of butane stored above single-use cups and lids in the kitchen. The inspector noted the butane was relocated to a chemical storage area before the inspection concluded.
Beyond the two priority findings, inspectors documented food stored directly on the floor in three separate areas: the back room, the walk-in freezer, and the walk-in cooler. Bags of chicharron in the retail area were also stored less than six inches off the floor. Food in the walk-in cooler was placed on shelving before the inspector left, but the violations in the freezer and back room were not noted as corrected on site.
The ice machine area had its own cluster of problems. The handwash sink there had no posted sign reminding employees to wash their hands, and no paper towels were available at the sink. Paper towels were provided during the visit, but the missing sign remained unaddressed. The ice scoop was found resting unprotected on top of the ice machine rather than stored in a clean, covered location. It was sent to the warewash area to be cleaned, rinsed, sanitized, and air dried.
The store also had no current laboratory analysis of its store-packaged ice on file. The inspector gave the establishment 30 days to produce a satisfactory analysis from an approved laboratory.
A handwash sink next to the warewash sink was found in disrepair, leaking water onto the floor. The inspector noted the store has a secondary handwash sink nearby and gave the establishment 30 days to repair the broken one.
What These Violations Mean
Undercooked poultry is one of the most direct food safety hazards a retail food establishment can present to customers. Chicken cooked only to 135 degrees can harbor live Salmonella and Campylobacter, both of which cause serious gastrointestinal illness. At Arav Apopka Inc., the tenders were described as having been "done cooking" by staff when inspectors measured them, meaning they would have been served or sold at that temperature without the inspector's intervention.
The butane storage violation is a contamination risk, not just a fire hazard. Toxic and flammable materials stored above food contact surfaces or single-use items can introduce chemical contamination if a container leaks or tips. The items below the butane can, in this case, would have been used to serve or package food for customers.
The absence of a current ice lab analysis matters specifically because this store sells packaged ice. Without periodic microbial testing from an approved laboratory, there is no documented verification that the ice meets safety standards. If a contamination problem existed, there would be no record to trace it.
Food stored directly on floors in the walk-in freezer, walk-in cooler, and back room is not a cosmetic issue. Floor contact exposes product packaging to moisture, pests, and cleaning chemicals. At a store with a repeat violation for an unclosed dumpster outside, the floor-storage pattern takes on additional significance.
The Longer Record
Arav Apopka Inc. Inspection History
The store's inspection record on file with FDACS spans three visits. A focused inspection in October 2023 found no violations. The February 2026 routine inspection produced ten.
What stands out is the follow-up. When inspectors returned on March 13, 2026, for a check-back visit, they still documented one violation marked as a repeat, meaning at least one of the problems from February had not been corrected in the intervening month. The dumpster lid had already been flagged as a repeat violation during the February visit itself, indicating the same problem had been cited at least once before that inspection as well.
None of the ten violations from the February 11 inspection were noted as corrected on site in the official record. The store's packaged ice still had no current lab analysis on file when inspectors left that day.