MIAMI, FL. Back in February 2026, a state agriculture inspector walked into a Miami Sunoco convenience store and found Capri Sun juice pouches sitting in the reach-in cooler bearing a label that said, plainly, "Not labeled for individual sale."
The inspector found the same problem on the shelf nearby. Individually packaged Pop-Tarts, also not labeled for individual sale, were available for customers to grab and purchase. Both products were removed from consumer reach before the inspector left.
What Inspectors Found
The Sunoco on 6th Ave received seven violations total on February 4, 2026, including three classified as priority foundation, the tier that covers foundational food safety knowledge and policy. None were repeat violations, and none were corrected on site, with the exception of the mislabeled products.
The person in charge that day could not correctly answer questions related to foodborne illnesses, symptoms, or employee reporting responsibilities. The inspector provided an employee health guide and reporting agreement by email.
The store also had no written policy for responding to vomiting or diarrheal events. That guidance was also sent by email.
The inspector noted the absence of a handwashing sign at the sink inside the employee unisex restroom. Inside the walk-in cooler, unsealed wood was being used for shelving. Stained ceiling tiles were documented above the reach-in coolers, in the restroom, and in the backroom, where broken ceiling tiles were also found. Dust had accumulated on a ceiling vent above the retail shelves, and heavy dust buildup was observed on the fan guards inside the walk-in cooler.
What These Violations Mean
The labeling violation is not a paperwork technicality. When food products are sold in bulk and repackaged or separated for individual sale without proper labeling, consumers lose access to ingredient lists, allergen warnings, and lot numbers. If someone has a severe allergy to an ingredient in those Capri Sun pouches or Pop-Tarts and relies on the label to make a purchasing decision, the absence of that label is a direct risk. Federal law, specifically 21 CFR, governs this for a reason.
The person-in-charge failure is a different kind of problem. State food safety rules require that whoever is running a food establishment at any given time be able to identify symptoms of foodborne illness, know which illnesses require employees to be excluded from work, and understand how to report those situations. At this Sunoco in February, the person responsible for the store that day could not answer those questions correctly. That gap does not stay contained to one shift.
The missing vomit and diarrheal event policy matters because norovirus, one of the most contagious foodborne pathogens, spreads rapidly through contaminated surfaces. A convenience store with no written cleanup procedure for those events is relying on employees to improvise, which is how contamination spreads to food contact surfaces, packaged products, and other customers.
The unsealed wood shelving inside the walk-in cooler is a structural concern. Wood absorbs moisture and cannot be sanitized the way food-grade surfaces can. Over time, it harbors bacteria and mold in ways that smooth, sealed surfaces do not.
The Longer Record
The February 4 inspection was not the first time state agriculture inspectors had been to this location. Records show two prior FDACS inspections on file, both resulting in zero violations.
A focused inspection in June 2024 found nothing to cite. A second focused inspection in February 2026, just eight days after the seven-violation visit, also found zero violations. That February 12 check-back was the direct follow-up to the February 4 findings, and the store cleared it.
The inspection history here is short, with only three inspections on record total. That limits the ability to identify a long-term pattern. What the record does show is a store that passed two focused inspections but accumulated seven violations, including three priority-foundation citations, during the one comprehensive sanitation review in that same stretch.
Focused inspections are narrower in scope than full sanitation reviews. The clean results in June 2024 and February 2026 reflect what inspectors checked on those specific visits, not a full accounting of conditions across the store.
What Remained Unresolved
The mislabeled Capri Suns and Pop-Tarts were pulled from shelves before the inspector left. That was the only correction made on site during the February 4 visit.
The remaining six violations, including the failed food safety knowledge test, the missing illness response policy, the absent handwashing sign, the unsealed wood shelving, the damaged ceiling tiles, and the heavy dust on the walk-in fan guards, were not corrected during the inspection itself. The employee health guide and vomit cleanup procedures were sent to the store by email.
Whether those materials were reviewed, implemented, or posted before the February 12 follow-up visit, the inspection record does not say.