CLERMONT, FL. State inspectors cited Dim Sum House at 2440 E Hwy 50 for obtaining food from unapproved or unknown sources on July 1, 2026, a violation that means customers had no way of knowing whether what they ate had ever passed a federal safety inspection.
That was one of nine high-severity violations documented in a single visit. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite destruction violation is notable given the restaurant's dim sum menu, which involves fish and pork preparations. Inspectors also flagged inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the shellfish served, whether oysters, clams, or mussels, could not be traced to a certified harvesting source.
No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods appeared on the menu, the inspection record shows. That means customers who are elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised had no warning before ordering dishes that may have carried elevated risk.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also cited inadequate handwashing facilities, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal. The person in charge was either not present or not performing supervisory duties.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation is one of the most consequential a restaurant can receive. When food bypasses USDA or FDA-regulated supply chains, there is no documentation trail. If a customer becomes sick, investigators have no records to trace the ingredient back to a farm, processor, or distributor.
The failure to follow parasite destruction procedures compounds that risk. Fish served raw or lightly cooked, and pork that has not been frozen to the required temperature, can harbor live Anisakis roundworms or Trichinella. Neither is killed by lime juice, soy sauce, or light cooking. The only reliable safeguard is proper freezing before service, and inspectors found that safeguard was not in place.
The employee illness reporting violation is a direct transmission risk. Food workers who do not report symptoms of nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea continue handling food. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through exactly this route, and a single infected employee can expose dozens of customers in a single shift.
Improperly stored toxic chemicals near food create the possibility of acute chemical poisoning, not from spoilage or bacteria, but from direct contamination of food or drink. The sewage disposal citation is a separate pathway to fecal contamination throughout the facility.
The Longer Record
The July 1 inspection was not an outlier. Records show Dim Sum House has been inspected 26 times and has accumulated 271 total violations, with zero emergency closures across that entire history.
The pattern in recent months is consistent. On June 23, 2025, inspectors cited 11 high-severity and 6 intermediate violations. A follow-up on June 24 still found 2 high-severity violations. On January 23, 2026, inspectors returned and found 9 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations. On June 26, 2026, the count was again 11 high-severity and 4 intermediate. A reinspection three days later, on June 29, still showed 11 high-severity violations before a same-day follow-up brought the count down to 2.
The July 1 inspection, with 9 high-severity violations, came two days after that second June 29 visit.
The categories repeat. High-severity violations have appeared across nearly every recent inspection, including the most serious food safety categories: sourcing, illness reporting, handwashing, and surface sanitation. The record does not show a facility that had one bad week. It shows a facility that has produced double-digit high-severity violation counts in four of the last eight inspections on record.
Still Open
Florida's emergency closure authority requires inspectors to find an "imminent threat" to public health. Nine high-severity violations on July 1, following 11 on June 26 and 11 on June 29, did not meet that threshold, at least as applied here.
Dim Sum House at 2440 E Hwy 50 in Clermont was open for business after the July 1 inspection.
