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Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept

Market or grocery · Pasadena, CA

8 inspections

At a glance

CleanCleaver food safety systematic review results

What happened?

1 problem found · Routine health department inspection · May 31, 2023

Is that a lot?

Most markets and grocery stores here got 0 to 3 points taken off. Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept got about the same as most.

Compared with 73 Pasadena markets and grocery stores. Each store's last routine inspection counts.

What was found out about Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept?

It's fair to care about this. Here's what the county found. Tap any item to see how a kitchen fixes it.

  1. Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right K014How to fixFix it

See all 1 item ↓

Source: City of Pasadena Public Health Department

We review Pasadena health data to make this report. We are not the City of Pasadena Public Health Department.

Which one are you?

For Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept's team

Is this your place?

Welcome, Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept. We'll walk through this together, one item at a time. To log the fixes, claim Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept first; we check that you run it.

Your whole team can help. Each person gets one next step, and everyone can see what's done.

This is my place: claim Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept

We'll help you get every item done. You don't have to do it alone.

We know an inspection can feel heavy, especially when it's busy.

  1. Fix it together

    Follow the steps for each item, with the rule beside it.

  2. Log it

    Your team logs the fix on their phones, with the time and who did it.

  3. Show what you did

    Saying what you fixed, in your own words, builds trust. Families and regulars respect a kitchen that owns it and fixes it.

Each fix step comes from the rule it names: Food Code 4-603.16, Food Code 3-304.14, Food Code 6-501.112.

Try it yourself

Fix and log it: Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right

A practice run. Nothing is saved. Tap each step when it's done.

0 of 3 done

Clean first, then sanitize

From Food Code 4-603.16

Logged

That's one done. We'll be here for the next.

What people see now

Today, people see the department's words and nothing from you.

What people see after you fix and log it

Example reply

CleanCleaverBusiness reply

Your business replied to this with the public statement:

We fixed this the same day. Now our team logs it on their phones at open and close.

The date of your reply

This is not an official update to the health inspection report. The county's record is unchanged.

Most kitchens get something cited at some point. What people remember is that you fixed it.

Want to join the restaurants in Pasadena that keep their kitchens clean and put their guests' health first?

Claim Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept

We'll set it up with you. 25 days free.

Replies are part of a paid plan. We read each one before it goes up. You can take it down any time. Only the department can change its record.

Do you work there, and someone else owns it? I work there

What people see next

Under each item here, people see what you fixed, in your words.

Left alone, or fixed together

Left alone, the same items can come back at the next inspection. Fixed together, they're done.

Not your place?

CleanCleaver puts these same items on your team's phones, with the rule beside each one. Your binder is ready when the inspector is.

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Inspections

From City of Pasadena Public Health Department · 8 inspections on record · Last checked Oct 8, 2026

The health department lists no visits in the last 12 months.

Points taken off at each routine inspection
Jul 8, 2015: 2Jan 11, 2017: 1Nov 12, 2019: 3Nov 23, 2020: 2Sep 13, 2021: 1May 16, 2022: 2Nov 29, 2022: 2May 31, 2023: 222220152023

The City's Environmental Health Division inspects each permanent food facility on its own schedule. A routine score of 85 to 100 is a Pass, 75 to 84 a Conditional Pass.

Every visit

  1. LatestMay 31, 2023Routine inspection98 out of 100

    This one: 98 out of 100, inspected May 31, 2023.

    1 violation listed.

    Violations (1)

    • Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right

      The department's words

      K014 Food contact surfaces: clean and sanitized

      2 points

      Food Code 4-602.11

      How can a restaurant or home fix this?

      Clean first, then sanitize

      • 1. Scrape off food.
      • 2. Wash with detergent and warm water.
      • 3. Rinse off the soap (soap weakens sanitizer).

      From Food Code 4-603.16

      When to clean food-contact surfaces

      4 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide

      Cleaning vs sanitizing, and sanitizer strengths

      The full guide has 4 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.

      Fix and log it now

      Are you Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept? Fix it

  2. EarlierNov 29, 2022Routine inspection98 out of 100

    1 violation listed.

    Violations (1)

  3. EarlierMay 16, 2022Routine inspection98 out of 100

    2 violations listed.

    Violations (2)

    • Equipment in poor repair

      The department's words

      K035 Equipment/Utensils - approved; installed; good repair, capacity

      1 point

    • Wiping cloths left out of sanitizer

      The department's words

      K040 Wiping cloths: properly used and stored

      1 point

  4. EarlierSep 13, 2021Routine inspection99 out of 100

    1 violation listed.

    Violations (1)

  5. EarlierNov 23, 2020Routine inspection98 out of 100

    2 violations listed.

    Violations (2)

    • Shelves and surfaces need cleaning

      The department's words

      K033 Nonfood-contact surfaces clean

      1 point

    • Wiping cloths left out of sanitizer

      The department's words

      K040 Wiping cloths: properly used and stored

      1 point

  6. EarlierNov 12, 2019Routine inspection97 out of 100

    3 violations listed.

    Violations (3)

    • Equipment in poor repair

      The department's words

      K035 Equipment/Utensils - approved; installed; good repair, capacity

      1 point

    • Wiping cloths left out of sanitizer

      The department's words

      K040 Wiping cloths: properly used and stored

      1 point

    • Floors, walls or ceilings need cleaning or repair

      The department's words

      K045 Floors, walls and ceilings: built and maintained

      1 point

  7. EarlierJan 11, 2017Routine inspection99 out of 100

    1 violation listed.

    Violations (1)

    • Floors, walls or ceilings need cleaning or repair

      The department's words

      K045 Floors, walls and ceilings: built and maintained

      1 point

  8. EarlierJul 8, 2015Routine inspection98 out of 100

    1 violation listed.

    Violations (1)

Source: City of Pasadena Public Health Department. This is the department's data, not CleanCleaver's. See the department's full record (opens the department's site)

What you can do

As a customer of Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept, you can:

  1. Learn how these get fixed

    Free, step-by-step guides for each item.

    Open the steps here

  2. Let Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept know

    Ask for the manager. Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept can only fix what it knows about.

    The department lists no phone for this place.

  3. Share this page

  4. Use CleanCleaver at home

    Families clean together. Chores and food dates for everyone at home.

    See CleanCleaver for home

  5. Complain directly to the health department

    We are not the health department. You can report to them on their site. Report to City of Pasadena Public Health Department (opens the department's site)

When regulars speak up kindly and kitchens fix things, the whole neighborhood eats well. Now you know what the inspector found, and what you can do about it.

Do you work at or run Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept?

See the plan to fix each item and show what you did.

Address this

About this record

Open the City's Health Inspection Search, choose Restaurant/Market, and search for the name. Inspections before December 2025 are on its second page.

Most people don't know what a normal result looks like for a place that's open every day. The ranges use each place's last routine inspection in this area. No other county is mixed in.

100 means the inspector found no problems. Pasadena takes points off for each problem. Big ones take off more.

Each inspection starts at 100 points and points come off for each violation. 85 to 100 is a Pass, 75 to 84 a Conditional Pass, and below 75 a permit suspension hearing is scheduled. Closed means the permit was suspended. The City uses no letter grade. Its guide is from 2014: confirm the numbers with the department.

Listed as
Restaurant/Market
Inspection type
Routine inspection
Result
98 out of 100
Source
City of Pasadena Public Health Department

This is not an official ranking or grade. See the official source: City of Pasadena Public Health Department (opens the department's site) .

Information on this page may be out of date. Check the original source to confirm.

Questions about Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept

When was Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept last inspected?

The health department last inspected Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept on May 31, 2023. It was a routine inspection.

What did the health department find at Whole Foods Market - Specialty Dept?

The health department listed 1 violation on May 31, 2023: Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right.

How often does Pasadena inspect restaurants?

The City's Environmental Health Division inspects each permanent food facility on its own schedule. A routine score of 85 to 100 is a Pass, 75 to 84 a Conditional Pass.