, FL. An employee at Storm was observed washing and rinsing a blender, then placing it directly on a drying rack without completing the required sanitizing step, according to a September 25 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The inspector caught the lapse in the warewashing area and immediately corrected it on site. Staff were instructed to set up the three-compartment sink with quaternary ammonium sanitizer and to follow the full wash, rinse, and sanitize sequence before air drying any utensil.
That was not the only chemical problem inspectors found.
What Inspectors Found
A spray bottle of quaternary ammonium sanitizer used directly on food-contact surfaces was measured at a concentration exceeding 500 parts per million, which is above the safe upper limit. The inspector had it diluted to the correct concentration before leaving.
A cup without a handle was found stored inside a bulk container of granola in the warewashing area, a practice that puts the contents of the container at risk of contamination every time someone reaches in. Stirring spoons in the food service area were sitting in stagnant water measured at 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The inspector had those utensils cleaned and sanitized and moved to a clean, dry container.
Smoothie straws were not individually packaged or dispensed in a way that protected them from employee contamination. The facility also lacked sanitizer test strips, meaning staff had no reliable way to verify whether their sanitizer solution was effective. Test strips were obtained during the inspection.
The facility's probe thermometer had a dead battery. A working thermometer is required to verify food temperatures, and without one, temperature violations can go undetected. The battery was replaced and the thermometer calibrated during the inspection.
The retail area had no labeling or written notification identifying major food allergens in unpackaged foods and drinks offered for sale. Information on allergen labeling requirements was provided to management.
The Person in Charge
The person in charge at Storm was unable to correctly answer questions about foodborne illness prevention during the inspection. The inspector reviewed the employee health policy with that individual on site.
The facility also had no written procedures for employees to follow in the event of a vomiting or diarrheal incident. That document is a required safeguard, and information on creating one was provided to the person in charge.
No certified food protection manager was on staff. State rules require at least one employee to hold that certification, which covers food safety principles including temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, and illness reporting.
What These Violations Mean
The unsanitized blender violation is the most direct food safety concern in this inspection. Blenders at a specialty food shop come into contact with raw fruit, dairy, and other ingredients repeatedly throughout a shift. Skipping the sanitizing step means bacteria from one customer's drink can transfer to the next. The three-compartment sink process, wash, rinse, and sanitize, exists specifically to break that chain.
The sanitizer spray bottle running above 500 PPM presents a different but related problem. Chemical sanitizers at excessive concentrations are not safe for food-contact surfaces. A customer's smoothie cup wiped down with an over-concentrated solution could carry residual chemicals directly into a drink.
The absence of sanitizer test strips meant that even when staff thought they were sanitizing correctly, they had no way to confirm it. Test strips are inexpensive and required precisely because concentration can drift without anyone noticing.
The allergen labeling gap affects every customer who walks in and buys an unpackaged food or drink. Florida law requires specialty food shops to notify consumers of major allergens, including milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish, in unpackaged products. Without that information posted or labeled, a customer with a serious allergy has no way to make an informed choice.
The Longer Record
The September 25 inspection resulted in 14 total violations, including 2 priority violations and 4 priority foundation violations. None were marked as repeats, meaning these specific citations had not been documented in the immediately preceding inspection on record.
The inspection was classified as having met sanitation requirements, meaning the facility was not ordered closed. Zero violations were corrected on site in the sense that the record shows no pre-correction baseline, but the inspector's notes document multiple items that were addressed during the visit itself, including the sanitizer concentration, the thermometer, the test strips, and the utensil storage issues.
What remains unresolved after the inspection is the absence of a certified food protection manager. That is not a problem that can be fixed during a single visit. It requires an employee to complete and pass an accredited food safety certification exam, and as of the date of inspection, Storm had not met that requirement.
