FL. Raw shell eggs were sitting above retail produce in a reach-in cooler when state inspectors walked into El Costeno Supermarket Llc on September 24, a finding that represents one of the more direct contamination risks a grocery inspector can document.
That was not the only problem. The store was operating without a valid food permit at the time of the inspection, a foundational legal requirement for any food establishment in Florida.
What Inspectors Found
The inspection, conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, recorded 8 total violations, including 1 priority violation and 4 priority foundation violations. None were marked as repeat violations.
The inspector noted that El Costeno Supermarket had store-produced gelatina on the retail shelf without required labeling, including missing ingredients, store name, and city, state and zip code. Those products were pulled from the shelf during the inspection so labels could be added.
In the kitchen, el pastor produced on site was missing proper date marks. The inspector noted that the date of production was determined and added to the product during the visit. No chlorine sanitizer test strips were available in the kitchen, an issue resolved when the inspector provided a sample set on the spot.
Four violations remained unresolved when the inspector left. The store had no certified food protection manager on staff. Staff could not fully answer employee health policy questions as required. There were no written procedures for employees to follow in the event of a vomit or diarrhea incident. And the permit issue remained open, with the inspector noting that an application had been submitted and that payment of the appropriate fee was required within 10 days.
What These Violations Mean
The raw egg storage violation is the most direct food safety risk documented in this inspection. Raw shell eggs can carry Salmonella on their shells, and storing them above ready-to-eat produce creates a straightforward path for contamination: any drip, crack, or handling transfer can deposit bacteria directly onto fruits and vegetables a customer will take home and may not cook. The violation was corrected during the visit, but it reflects a storage practice that should not have existed in the first place.
The missing date marks on the el pastor are a separate concern. Ready-to-eat foods prepared on site are required to be date-marked so that staff, and inspectors, can verify how long the product has been held. Without that information, there is no reliable way to know whether a product has been sitting beyond safe limits.
The absence of written vomit and diarrhea cleanup procedures may seem administrative, but it is not. When an employee or customer has an illness incident in a food establishment, improper cleanup is a documented transmission route for norovirus and other pathogens. A written procedure ensures staff know to use the correct sanitizer concentration, wear gloves, and dispose of materials properly. El Costeno had no such document on the day of inspection.
The employee health policy gap compounds that risk. When staff cannot correctly answer questions about preventing the spread of illness, it signals that the training meant to keep sick workers away from food may not be in place.
Operating Without a Permit
The permit violation sits at the center of this inspection. Under Florida Statute 500.12, no food establishment may operate without a valid food permit issued by FDACS. The inspection type itself was classified as "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit, Met Sanitation Inspection," meaning the store was allowed to continue operating after demonstrating it met sanitation standards, but the permit issue was not resolved on site.
The inspector's notes confirm an application had been submitted. The store was given 10 days to remit payment of the required fee, with options for online payment by credit card or e-check, or by check or money order mailed to FDACS in Tallahassee.
Operating without a valid permit means the state has no current, confirmed record that the facility has met all baseline requirements to sell food to the public. It is the kind of gap that, if not resolved, can escalate to a stop-sale order or forced closure.
The Longer Record
The inspection data for El Costeno does not include a prior inspection history count, which limits the ability to place this visit in a longer pattern. What the record does show is that this inspection was triggered specifically by the permit lapse, not a routine scheduled visit.
That context matters. A permit-triggered inspection is not the same as a surprise visit during normal operations. Inspectors arrived knowing the facility had a compliance gap, and still documented 8 violations across labeling, storage, date marking, sanitation equipment, personnel certification, and written procedures.
Four of those violations were not corrected before the inspector left, including the absence of a certified food protection manager and the missing written illness response procedures. Both of those gaps require action beyond the inspection visit itself, and neither has a quick fix.
