After Failed Inspections, J&J Food Market Pledges to Improve

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New York health inspectors destroyed nearly eight pounds of pet food that was rife with beetles at J&J Food Market during an inspection last November.

This was the fifth time the store on the corner of Greene Avenue and Cumberland Street failed a health inspection since 2003. 

Not only were there beetles in the pet food—a failing termed a "critical deficiency" and hazardous to a person's health—inspectors also found live beetles on the shelves where the pet food was kept, according to public information supplied by the state's Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Owner Farhat Jadallah, whose father and uncle opened the store more than 30 years ago, said the pet food itself was the problem, and that the store has taken care of the issue.

"We had it in the shelves in the back and we bought the cases like that," Jadallah told Patch. "I don't know how long it was sitting in the warehouse. We wanted to stop selling the boxes of food, but people had wanted it. I think it's from the food itself and maybe from the cardboard. We don't have anything like that in the store."

But they used to. Since 2003 health inspectors have made five seizures, including the November, resulting in the destruction of nearly 90 pounds of insect-infested products.

J&J was one of 98 businesses that were analyzed for Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Patch as part of a statewide effort to map grocery store inspection results. See the full interactive map above.

In 2003, 20 pounds of Friskies Alpo cat food also containing beetles was destroyed during an inspection. In 2007, inspectors destroyed 56 pounds of Quaker Oats Oatmeal, Quaker Old Fashion Grits and Parade Quick Oats due to insects. Four years later, in 2011, 13 pounds of Jack Rabbit Black beans found to be harboring insects were destroyed. 

Separately, in 2007, inspectors seized and destroyed seven cans of Del Monte Sauerkraut that had extensive dents, pitting, rust, bulges and leaks. 

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But Jadallah said the days of bug-ridden food are a thing of the past for the store. "There won't be problems anymore," he said. "We took care of that right away, we even ate the credit and we took it off the store's shelves."

He added the market had a visit from inspectors on Feb. 22 with very few deficiencies to show for it. "The soup, there's a special pot we put it in, and [the inspector] wanted it to have a thermometer," he said.  

Jadallah said he has also started to upgrade the shop's equipment, too.

"We upgraded our refrigerators to a more up-to-date model, we have new shelvings—the other ones were a little lopsided—and we have a new deli case," he said. "We have brand new sinks behind the counters, brand new coffee machines. ..."

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He said that in a neighborhood in a constant state of flux, the improvements also serve to gain a competitive edge in a growing market. 

"The neighborhood is getting better and now it's just so much competition out there; it's really hard," Jadallah said. "Before we had one or two stores in the neighborhood, now you have Pathmark and Target. It's just getting harder for us."