LUTZ, FL. State inspectors walked into Raining Berries #1100 on Sierra Center Boulevard on July 20 and found food from unapproved or unknown sources being used at the facility, a violation that means some of what customers were eating had never passed through a USDA or FDA safety checkpoint.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented that day. The shop was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The unapproved food source citation was not the only violation that put customers at direct risk. Inspectors also found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, a condition that can cause acute poisoning if a chemical contaminates an ingredient or a container is mistaken for a food product.
The facility was also cited for failing to use time as a public health control properly. When a food operation uses time rather than temperature to manage safety, it means food is deliberately held in the bacterial growth zone, typically between 41 and 135 degrees, for a fixed window before being discarded. If that clock is not tracked correctly, food that should have been thrown out stays in service.
Inspectors documented missing or inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning shellfish on the premises could not be traced to a certified harvester. They also found no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, which is required any time a menu includes items that can be served below full cooking temperatures. And employees were observed using improper handwashing technique, meaning the act of washing hands was not eliminating the pathogens it was supposed to remove.
The two intermediate violations covered multi-use utensils that were not properly cleaned and toilet facilities that were inadequate or improperly maintained.
What These Violations Mean
The unapproved food source violation is among the most consequential a food service operation can receive. When ingredients enter a kitchen outside licensed and inspected supply chains, there is no traceability. If a customer gets sick, investigators cannot trace the contaminated batch, cannot identify other affected customers, and cannot issue a recall. Listeria and Salmonella are among the pathogens that regulated supply chains are specifically designed to intercept.
The shell stock records violation compounds that traceability problem specifically for shellfish. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or only lightly cooked, and they filter large volumes of water, concentrating whatever pathogens or toxins are present in their harvest environment. Without a certified harvest tag on file, there is no way to know where those shellfish came from or whether the water was tested.
The missing consumer advisory matters most to the people least able to absorb the risk. Pregnant women, elderly customers, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system are the populations most likely to develop severe illness from undercooked proteins. A posted advisory is not a guarantee of safety, but it is the legal minimum required to let those customers make an informed choice before they order.
Improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, the intermediate violation, are not a minor housekeeping issue. Bacterial biofilms form on food-contact surfaces within 24 hours of inadequate cleaning. Those biofilms are resistant to standard sanitizers and transfer directly to whatever food the utensil touches next.
The Longer Record
The July 20 inspection was the eleventh on record for this location. Across those eleven inspections, the facility has accumulated 37 total violations and has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern of high-severity citations goes back to the facility's earliest inspections. Records show high-priority violations in July 2021, April 2022, October 2022, November 2022, February 2025, May 2025, and September 2025. The only clean inspection in the facility's history was March 2024, when inspectors documented zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations.
That clean inspection proved short-lived. By September 2025, the facility was back to three high-severity and one intermediate violation. By July 2026, the count had doubled.
The most recent inspection before July 20 was September 29, 2025, which produced three high-severity violations of its own. The jump from three high-severity citations in September 2025 to six in July 2026 represents the worst single-inspection result this location has produced in its recorded history.
Open for Business
Six high-severity violations in a single inspection is the threshold at which Florida regulators have the authority to order an emergency closure. At Raining Berries #1100 on July 20, that threshold was met and exceeded.
The shop was not closed.
Customers who visited Raining Berries on or after July 20 had no way of knowing that the facility had been cited for food from unknown sources, toxic chemicals stored near food, and employees who were not washing their hands correctly. No closure notice was posted. No orange sticker appeared on the door.
The facility's inspection record is public. The door was open.
