PENSACOLA, FL. Back in December 2025, a state inspector walked into Taste Of Jerusalem LLC, a small grocery store in Pensacola, and found an entire reach-in prep cooler holding food at 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Every temperature-controlled item inside was voluntarily discarded by management on the spot.
That was one of 12 violations documented during the December 22 inspection. Six were classified as priority violations, the most serious category under Florida's food safety framework.
What Inspectors Found
The store was operating without a valid food permit. The inspector noted that an application had been submitted, but the establishment was required to remit payment of the appropriate fee within 10 days. A supplemental report was also issued to management during the visit.
The temperature violation triggered a stop sale order. The inspector cited adulteration under Florida Statutes 500.04 and 500.10, specifically tied to the failure to maintain proper cold holding temperatures.
Raw chicken livers were found stored above ready-to-eat foods in a reach-in cooler on the cook line. In a separate cooler in the back, raw eggs were stored above ready-to-eat foods. Both were corrected on site after the inspector intervened.
Chemical storage compounded the picture. A bottle of floor cleaner was sitting on top of the ice machine. On dry storage shelving, a can of insect spray was stored directly next to tea. Both were moved during the inspection.
Three bottles of personal medicine were found stored in a reach-in cooler in the bread area. A food service employee left the kitchen, opened the door with gloves on, and returned to food preparation without removing the gloves, washing hands, or putting on new gloves. The inspector noted a language barrier and had management explain the procedure to the employee. The employee then removed the gloves, washed their hands, and donned new gloves.
Multiple items across the kitchen's reach-in coolers had no date markings. No soap was available at the hand sink. Two working containers, one sanitizer and one cleaner, in the front of house had no labels identifying their contents.
The inspector also found employee beverages scattered throughout the kitchen rather than stored in a designated area, and at least one food service employee was working without a proper hair restraint.
The entire kitchen, the inspector wrote, "needs a good cleaning there is a thin layer of grease and flour on most of the surfaces."
What These Violations Mean
A cooler holding food at 67 degrees Fahrenheit is not a minor calibration issue. Cold-held food is required to stay at 41 degrees or below because bacterial growth accelerates sharply in the range between 41 and 135 degrees. At 67 degrees, pathogens including Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus can multiply to dangerous levels within hours. Every product in that cooler was discarded because there was no way to know how long it had been at that temperature or what had been sold from it before the inspector arrived.
The cross-contamination violations, raw chicken liver and raw eggs stored above ready-to-eat foods, represent a direct path for pathogens to reach food that will not be cooked again before a customer eats it. Chicken liver, in particular, is a known carrier of Salmonella. Storing it above prepared or ready-to-eat items means any drip or leak contaminates food with no kill step remaining.
Toxic materials stored near food and on the ice machine create a different category of risk. Floor cleaner on an ice machine means ice, which goes directly into drinks, is one spill away from chemical contamination. Insect spray stored next to tea on a dry goods shelf presents the same problem. Neither requires a visible spill to cause harm if a container leaks or a residue transfers.
Operating without a valid food permit means the store was not legally authorized to sell food to the public on the day of this inspection.
The Longer Record
The December 22 inspection was not the end of the story for Taste Of Jerusalem. A follow-up inspection on January 13, 2026, found one remaining violation, and that violation was a repeat: the store was still operating without a valid food permit, though the January visit was classified as a met-sanitation inspection, meaning the underlying sanitation issues had been addressed.
The permit violation persisted across two inspections separated by three weeks. That is the one finding that was not corrected on site in December and had not been resolved by the time inspectors returned in January.
None of the 12 violations from the December inspection were marked as repeats from prior visits, which suggests this location had not accumulated a long documented history of the same failures before December. The January follow-up, however, confirmed the permit issue was not resolved quickly.
Of the 12 violations cited in December, zero were corrected before the inspector left and noted as resolved without intervention. Every priority violation that was addressed, including the temperature issue, the cross-contamination findings, and the chemical storage problems, required the inspector to be present before management acted.