JACKSONVILLE, FL. Back in January 2026, a state inspector at Baku Florida Inc, a small grocery store in Jacksonville, opened a cabinet in the service area and found insect spray stored directly alongside single-service utensils.
The inspector's notes put it plainly: "Insect spray stored in a cabinet commingled with single service utensils." The spray was moved to the chemical storage area before the inspector left.
That finding was one of seven violations documented during the January 12 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Six were recorded in the formal violation tally. All were corrected on site.
What Inspectors Found
The raw egg problem was documented in the retail section of the store. The inspector noted that raw shell eggs were displayed above uncooked beets. Eggs were moved to an appropriate area during the inspection.
In the service area, the deli slicer carried "encrusted food debris" on its food-contact surface. The inspector classified that as a Priority Foundation violation, meaning it involves a practice or procedure that supports the prevention of food safety problems. The slicer was washed, rinsed, and sanitized before the inspector left.
Several chubs of deli meats in the service area were not date marked. Without date marks, there is no reliable way to know how long the meat had been stored or whether it remained safe for sale. Staff determined the dates and affixed labels during the inspection.
The tabletop ice maker in the service area had "a mold-like substance on the interior surface." It was cleaned during the inspection. Various deli salads and breads packaged on site were not labeled properly, and bulk pastas available for self-service were not labeled with their ingredients.
What These Violations Mean
The insect spray finding is the kind of violation that can be easy to overlook in a busy service area but carries a real contamination risk. Chemical products stored near or above food-contact surfaces, utensils, or single-service items create a direct pathway for toxic material to reach a customer's food. A spill, a drip, or even residue transferred by contact could contaminate utensils that go directly to customers. State food safety code requires poisonous or toxic materials to be separated by spacing, partitioning, or location, specifically to prevent that from happening.
The raw egg placement above uncooked beets is a cross-contamination concern. Raw shell eggs can carry Salmonella on their exterior surfaces. When stored above ready-to-eat or uncooked produce, any leakage or condensation dripping from the egg cartons can contaminate the food below. The produce in this case was uncooked beets, which a customer might handle directly without any cooking step to destroy pathogens.
The deli slicer with encrusted food debris is a different category of risk. A slicer that is not cleaned between uses, or not cleaned thoroughly, can transfer bacteria from one product to the next, including from products that may have been stored longer or at less controlled temperatures. Encrusted debris suggests the buildup was not from a single use.
Date marking on deli meats exists specifically to prevent ready-to-eat products from being held and sold beyond the point where bacterial growth becomes a hazard. Deli meats are among the foods most associated with Listeria risk, and that risk increases with time at refrigerator temperatures. Unlabeled chubs provide no visible check on how long the product has been in the case.
The Longer Record
The January 2026 inspection was the third FDACS inspection on record at this location. The prior two visits showed a store that had generally been in compliance.
A November 2025 focused inspection found zero violations. A September 2023 inspection found two violations and required a check-back. The January 2026 visit produced the highest violation count in the store's inspection history on record, with seven findings across priority, priority foundation, and standard categories.
None of the January violations were marked as repeats, meaning inspectors had not previously cited the store for the same specific problems. That is a notable distinction. A first-time finding is different from a pattern of the same violation appearing across multiple inspections.
The store's inspection history is relatively short, with only three visits over roughly two and a half years. That limited record makes it harder to assess whether the January findings represent a one-time lapse or an emerging trend.
What Was Corrected
Every violation documented on January 12 was addressed before the inspector left. The insect spray was relocated. The eggs were moved. The slicer was cleaned. The deli meats received date marks. The ice maker was sanitized. Labels were printed and applied to the bulk pastas and the packaged deli items.
What the inspection record does not show is whether the conditions that produced those violations, a chemical stored in the wrong cabinet, eggs placed in the wrong display position, a slicer left uncleaned, were the result of a single shift's oversight or something more routine at the store.