County health officials have closed a troublesome Whole Foods Market location in the South Bay due to food safety breaches.
The store at 20955 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino, which had some of its activities interrupted earlier this month due to vermin violations, had its operating permit suspended and was forced to close temporarily, according to the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health.
“The permit to operate has been temporarily suspended at this facility,” officials said in a statement. “A permit suspension occurs when an imminent threat to health and safety is observed and the violation(s) cannot be corrected. The facility must be closed until the violation is corrected and the permit is reinstated.”
According to a Department of Environmental Health report acquired by NBC Bay Area, an inspector discovered rat droppings throughout the store and witnessed mice, insects, birds, or animals in eight locations.
Whole Foods Market reacted with the following statement: “Our Cupertino location is temporarily closed as we perform critical maintenance and repairs. We will reopen once the renovations are complete to maintain our high standards for food safety and service. We apologize to our consumers for the inconvenience.
On April 8, county health officials closed the deli and bakery at the same Whole Foods shop due to vermin contamination. It was the second time in two weeks that those portions of the store had been closed, the first on March 26.
Health regulators will determine whether or not the store is clean enough to reopen. There is no schedule for when this is expected to occur.