MIAMI, FL. Back in January 2026, a state inspector walked into Cresent Supermarket on a routine operating-without-a-permit check and found packages of rice sitting on the retail shelves with live rice-flour beetles crawling inside them.
The inspector noted the packages were adulterated and ordered them voluntarily discarded on the spot. A stop sale order was issued and then released after the product was pulled. That was one of 13 violations documented during the January 7 inspection, including a priority violation for adulterated food and five priority foundation violations covering missing equipment, unlabeled products, and a person in charge who could not correctly answer basic food safety questions.
What Inspectors Found
The beetle-infested rice was not the only food safety problem. The inspector also found raw shell eggs stored directly above beverages in a reach-in cooler next to a hot case, a cross-contamination violation that was corrected during the visit when staff moved the eggs to an appropriate location.
The backroom had no handwashing sink. The inspector issued stop use orders covering all processing of food, equipment, and utensils until that is corrected. The establishment was also missing a 3-compartment sink entirely, drawing a separate stop use order.
The retail area had its own problems. The cold beverage case doors showed an accumulation of black mold-like substances. Stained, broken, and missing ceiling tiles were documented in the retail area. A visible gap ran along the bottom of the back door leading outside, leaving the backroom open to insects and rodents.
The store was also selling individually packaged Ritz crackers, Little Debbie cakes, Oreo cookies, Club crackers, Little Debbie wafers, Saltine crackers, Capri Sun pouches, and stick butter without labels indicating they were packaged for individual sale. The inspector noted the cookies were removed from consumer reach during the inspection.
The establishment had no probe thermometer available for temperature-controlled foods, no written procedures for responding to vomiting or diarrheal events, and no certified food protection manager certificate on hand. The person in charge could not correctly answer questions about foodborne illnesses, symptoms, or employee reporting responsibilities.
What These Violations Mean
Live insects inside sealed food packaging is a direct adulteration finding, not a cleanliness citation. Rice-flour beetles inside retail packages mean the product is unfit for sale under Florida food law, which is why the inspector issued a stop sale order rather than simply noting the problem. Anyone who purchased rice from the store before that inspection had no way of knowing.
The missing handwashing sink and 3-compartment sink are structural failures that affect every transaction in the store. Without a handwashing sink accessible in the food handling area, there is no reliable mechanism for employees to wash their hands between tasks. Without a 3-compartment sink, utensils and equipment cannot be properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized. The inspector issued stop use orders on both, meaning the store was not supposed to continue processing food or using equipment until those facilities were in place.
A person in charge who cannot correctly answer questions about foodborne illness symptoms and employee reporting is a compounding risk. That knowledge is the first line of defense against a sick employee continuing to handle food. At Cresent Supermarket in January, the inspector found that knowledge was not there, and provided an employee health guide and reporting agreement by email.
The unlabeled individually packaged products raise a separate concern. Bulk items repackaged for individual sale without proper labeling cannot be traced to a source if a customer gets sick. There is no lot number, no manufacturer, no expiration date visible to the buyer.
The Longer Record
Cresent Supermarket: Inspection History
The January inspection was the first on record at this location in the available data. Two focused follow-up inspections were conducted in February 2026, one on February 6 and another on February 17.
The February 6 visit found one violation, and it was marked as a repeat. That means at least one of the problems documented in January had not been resolved by the time inspectors returned a month later.
The February 17 inspection found four violations. None of the 13 violations from the January inspection were corrected on site at the time they were documented, with the exception of the adulterated rice, the misplaced eggs, and the unlabeled cookies, which were addressed during the visit itself. The structural deficiencies, the mold on the beverage cases, the gap at the back door, the missing mop sink, and the broken ceiling tiles were all left unresolved when the inspector walked out the door on January 7.