Dirty towels and eggs not refrigerated: Latest Merced County health inspections
One Merced County business evaluated by inspectors from the county Division of Environmental Health received an “unsatisfactory” grade during the latest round of inspections from Dec. 19 to Jan. 6.
Of the latest businesses to be evaluated, eight received a rating of “good” and one received a rating of “satisfactory.”
What the ratings mean
Businesses that accumulate zero to six violation points during an inspection receive a “good” rating. A rating of “satisfactory” is given to businesses that accumulate seven to 13 points. Businesses that accumulate 14 points or greater receive an “unsatisfactory” rating.
Violations recorded by inspectors can range in severity from minor to major. Major violations are “very likely to get people sick” and must be corrected immediately or the business, or parts of the business, must close until the issue is corrected, according to the Division of Environmental Health. If a business fails an inspection, a reinspection is required at a later date.
The Division of Environmental Health said a minor violation is one “likely to get people sick but does not require the location to close.”
Details from ‘Unsatisfactory’ reports
Here is a look at the “unsatisfactory” report from Dec. 19 to Jan. 6:
El Porvenir Grocery, 864 W. 13th St., Merced
El Porvenir Grocery received an “unsatisfactory” rating (26 points) during an inspection Dec. 30, 2025. Here are the violations as observed by the health inspector:
- Observed the lack of paper towels to properly dry hands. Provide paper towels in the paper towel dispenser to dry hands. (Repeat violation).
- Observed employee used a dirty towel to dry hands. Do not dry hands with dirty towels.
- Repeat violation. Observed bags of produce stored on the floor. Store at least 6 inches off the floor.
- Observed multiple containers not stored under temperature control or improperly stored impacting temperatures (second repeat violation): Meat in sauce, chicken, and battered and fried pepper stored on top of steam table instead of the heating wells. Fried pork skin, sauce, boiled tomatoes not stored in refrigerator after cooling to room temperature. Eggs not stored under refrigeration. All foods in excess of 10F of the required temperature limits was voluntarily discarded.
Businesses that received ‘Good’ ratings
- Blackwood Brittle, 5250 Hartford Ct., Atwater
- Frank Sparkes, 7265 W Almond Ave, Winton
- Sybil Crookham School, 7160 Walnut Ave, Winton
- Walle Inc dba Winton Super Market, 6592 N Winton Way, Winton
- Winfield Elementary School, 6981 Chestnut Lane, Winton
- Winton Middle School, 6300 N Cypress, Winton
- Winton School Dist. Cafeteria Whse., 7160 Walnut Ave., Winton
- Hilton Garden Inn, 1001 S. Coffee St., Merced
- Daimond Gas and Market 16, 1720 R St., Merced
Businesses that received ‘Satisfactory’ ratings
- El Bajio Market, 1010 W. 16th St., Merced
Next steps for Merced businesses
According to the Division of Environmental Health, some problems found by inspectors can be fixed at the time of the inspection. In other instances, violations an inspector deems more serious may result in the closure of the business at the time of the inspection.
The inspections represent a snapshot of the conditions that were observed by health inspectors at the time of their visit and may not indicate a pattern of either good or bad safety practices.
The Merced County Division of Environmental Health maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections, which can be found online at the Merced County Environmental Health website.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 11:13 AM.
