ORLANDO, FL. Back in January 2026, a state inspector walked into the seafood department at Colonial Fresh Market LLC, doing business as Key Food 4367, and found salted cod and smoked herring that had been received at 6:30 that morning still sitting outside of any cooler.
The fish were moved to a freezer before the inspector left. But that was one of ten violations documented during the January 13 inspection, including two priority findings and four priority-foundation findings, meaning the store's most basic food safety infrastructure had gaps inspectors considered serious enough to flag for follow-up.
What Inspectors Found
The meat department produced two separate violations. An employee left the meat processing area, went out to the retail floor, came back in, and put on new gloves without washing hands first. The inspector noted exactly that sequence: "Food employee left meat processing area went to the retail area, re-entered the meat department did not wash hands before placing on new gloves." The employee washed up after the inspector intervened.
Also in the meat department, there were no paper towels at the handwash sink. That was corrected on site. More significant, the meat counter service area had no handwash sink at all. The inspector gave the store 30 days to install one.
The store also lacked a thin-tipped probe thermometer, which is the tool used to check temperatures of incoming deliveries of seafood, meat, and produce. Without it, there was no reliable way to confirm whether products like the unrefrigerated fish had arrived at a safe temperature. A thermometer was provided before the inspection ended.
The person in charge could not answer all questions related to foodborne illness and its symptoms. The inspector noted that guidance was provided.
Three departments, including meat, seafood, and produce, had no handwash reminder signs posted at their sinks. Signs were provided during the inspection. Food was also found stored on milk crates and soda crates rather than proper shelving, and product was not stored six inches off the floor in the retail area. Trash and debris were documented around the dumpster outside.
None of the ten violations were listed as corrected on site in the official record, though the inspection type was recorded as "Met Sanitation Inspection Requirements, Check Back Needed," meaning a follow-up visit was required.
What These Violations Mean
The cold holding failure in the seafood department is the most direct public health concern from this inspection. Fish like salted cod and smoked herring that sit at room temperature for hours after delivery can accumulate bacterial growth, particularly if the product arrived already at the edge of a safe temperature range. Without a probe thermometer, the store had no documented way to know what temperature those products were at when they came off the delivery truck.
The hand hygiene violation in the meat department is a direct contamination pathway. An employee who handles raw meat, moves through a public retail space, and then returns to the processing area without washing hands can transfer pathogens from surfaces, equipment, or other people back into the area where meat is cut and packaged for sale. Gloves do not substitute for handwashing if the hands underneath are already contaminated.
The absence of a handwash sink in the meat counter service area compounds that problem structurally. If employees working at that counter have to leave the area to reach a sink, the practical result is that handwashing happens less often. That is why the inspector issued a 30-day installation order rather than treating it as a correctable-on-site item.
The person-in-charge knowledge gap matters because Florida food safety rules require that someone on duty be able to identify the symptoms and transmission routes of major foodborne illnesses, precisely so that sick employees can be identified and excluded before they handle food. A manager who cannot answer those questions is less likely to catch that situation.
The Longer Record
The January 2026 inspection was only the second FDACS inspection on record for this location. The first, a preoperational inspection on February 26, 2025, found one violation, which was also a repeat.
That is a thin history, which limits how much pattern analysis is possible. What the record does show is that the store moved from a single violation at opening to ten violations, including two priority findings and four priority-foundation findings, within its first year of operation.
None of the ten violations in January were flagged as repeats from the prior inspection, so the specific findings were new. But several of them, particularly the missing handwash infrastructure and the cold holding failure, are the kind of foundational issues that inspectors expect to be resolved early in a facility's operating life.
The check-back requirement attached to the January inspection means state inspectors were scheduled to return and verify that outstanding items, including the handwash sink installation in the meat counter, had been addressed. As of the inspection record, that sink had not yet been installed.