At a glance
CleanCleaver food safety systematic review results
What happened?
78/ 100 · 22 points taken off
5 problems found · 2 marked critical · Routine county inspection · Jun 6, 2025
At the routine inspection on Jun 6, 2025. The latest visit, on Jun 11, 2025, was a follow-up inspection. No notes were taken at it.
Is that a lot?
Most food places here got 2 to 15 points taken off. Mercado California got more than most.
Compared with 9,600 Santa Clara County food places. Each place's last routine inspection counts.
What was found out about Mercado California?
It's fair to care about this. Here's what the county found. Tap any item to see how a kitchen fixes it.
- Marked critical: Hot food below 135°F K07How to fixFix it
- Marked critical: Cooked food not cooled in time K09How to fixFix it
- Floors, walls or ceilings need cleaning or repair K45How to fixFix it
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
We review Santa Clara County health data to make this report. We are not the County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health.
Visit them directly at deh.santaclaracounty.gov (opens the department's site) · How we review
For Mercado California's team
Is this your place?
Welcome, Mercado California. We'll walk through this together, one item at a time. To log the fixes, claim Mercado California 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 Mercado CaliforniaWe'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.
Fix it together
Follow the steps for each item, with the rule beside it.
Next: Hot food below 135°FThe county found: “Cooked jalapenos and onions in hot holding measured 117F to 118F and were cooked one hour prior to temperature…”
First step: If food is out of range
Then the next one: Cooked food not cooled in time
Log it
Your team logs the fix on their phones, with the time and who did it.
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 our free guides, built on the FDA Food Code your state uses.
Try it yourself
Fix and log it: Hot food below 135°F
A practice run. Nothing is saved. Tap each step when it's done.
0 of 3 done
If food is out of range
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 Santa Clara County that keep their kitchens clean and put their guests' health first?
Claim Mercado CaliforniaWe'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 County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health · 2 inspections on record · Last checked Oct 6, 2026
The county lists no visits in the last 12 months.
Nice work, Mercado California. At the follow-up five days later, the county listed no items still open.
You cleared the re-check in five days. We're proud of you.
Every visit
LatestJun 11, 2025Follow-up inspection
No notes were taken, but there was an interaction, likely addressing some or all of the prior report. No inspector comment was found. See the official report (opens the department's site) for more information.
This one: a follow-up inspection on Jun 11, 2025. A follow-up visit re-checks earlier items. The last routine inspection was Jun 6, 2025: 78 out of 100 (Yellow placard).
EarlierJun 6, 2025Routine inspection78 out of 100 (Yellow placard)
5 violations listed, 2 marked critical.
Critical (2)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
The department's words
K07 Proper hot and cold holding temperatures
Cooked jalapenos and onions in hot holding measured 117F to 118F and were cooked one hour prior to temperature measurement. [CA] PHFs shall be held at 41°F or below or at 135°F or above. [COS] Food must be discarded by 1:30pm.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Food Code 3-501.16(A)(1)
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
If food is out of range
- Hot food below 135°F for less than 2 hours: reheat to 165°F.
- Cold food above 41°F for less than 2 hours: chill it right away.
- Unknown time or longer: throw it out.
Which foods need temperature control (TCS)
3 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Hot and cold holding
The full guide has 3 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Mercado California? Fix it
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
Cooked food not cooled in time
The department's words
K09 Proper cooling methods
Menudo in walk in fridge measured 44F to 48F. Per PIC, it was cooked the previous day and had not been removed from the walk in fridge since it was placed the day before. [CA] After heating or hot holding, Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHFs) shall be cooled rapidly from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours and from 70°F to 41°F within 4 hours. Approved cooling methods include: 1) Placing the food in shallow pans 2) Separating the food into thinner or smaller portions. 3) Using rapid cooling equipment (Ex. blast chiller) 4) Using containers that facilitate heat transfer (ex. stainless steel) 5) Adding ice as an ingredient. 6) Using ice paddles 7) Using an ice bath and stirring frequently 8) Accordance with a HACCP plan. Cooling foods shall have enough space around the containers for cold air to circulate, be loosely covered, or uncovered and stirred as frequently needed to evenly cool. [COS] Menudu was VC&D. MINOR: Beans measured at 109F - 125F 2 hours after they were finished cooking. Rice measured 82F 1 hour after they were finished cooking and were cooling on tray on counter. Rice in hot holding unit measured 92F 1.5 hours after cooking. [CA] After heating or hot holding, Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHFs) shall be cooled rapidly from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours and from 70°F to 41°F within 4 hours.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Food Code 3-501.14
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
If you miss a stage
- Missed stage 1 (not 70°F by 2 hours): reheat to 165°F and start over, or throw it out.
- Missed stage 2 (not 41°F by 6 hours): throw it out.
How to cool fast
3 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Cooling food in two stages
The full guide has 3 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Mercado California? Fix it
Not critical (3)
Floors, walls or ceilings need cleaning or repair
The department's words
K45 Floor, walls, ceilings: built,maintained, clean
Observed broken floor tiles in preparation area. [CA] Replace broken floor tiles with a smooth and of durable construction and nonabsorbent material that is easily cleanable. Observed holes in the ceiling in the back storage area. [CA] Repair holes in structure and maintain in good repair to prevent pest harborage.
Food Code 6-101.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
In CleanCleaver: Sweep and mop
Floors, walls and ceilings clean and in repair
In CleanCleaver: Sweep and mop
Are you Mercado California? Fix it
Utensils or dishes stored wet or unwashed
The department's words
K36 Equipment, utensils, linens: Proper storage and use
Bowls used as scoops in bulk food containers. [CA] Provide scoop with handle and store scoop handle in such a way that the handle does not come in direct contact with food to prevent contamination.
Food Code 4-901.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
In CleanCleaver: Check a room top to bottom
Utensils and dishes stored clean and dry
In CleanCleaver: Check a room top to bottom
Are you Mercado California? Fix it
Floors, walls or ceilings need cleaning or repair
The department's words
K44 Premises clean, in good repair; Personal/chemical storage; Adequate vermin-proofing
Back door to facility was open during inspection. Per PIC, it is left open most of the day for deliveries. [CA] Air curtains shall be in operation over all open exterior doors to prevent flying pests.
Food Code 6-101.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
In CleanCleaver: Sweep and mop
Floors, walls and ceilings clean and in repair
In CleanCleaver: Sweep and mop
Are you Mercado California? Fix it
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health. 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 Mercado California, you can:
Learn how these get fixed
Free, step-by-step guides for each item.
- Hot food below 135°F Read the free guide
- Cooked food not cooled in time Read the free guide
- Floors, walls or ceilings need cleaning or repair In CleanCleaver: Sweep and mop
- Utensils or dishes stored wet or unwashed In CleanCleaver: Check a room top to bottom
Call Mercado California
Ask for the manager. Mercado California can only fix what it knows about.
Share this page
Use CleanCleaver at home
Families clean together. Chores and food dates for everyone at home.
Complain directly to the health department
We are not the health department. You can report to them on their site. Report to County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (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 Mercado California?
See the plan to fix each item and show what you did.
Address thisAbout this record
Opens the county's own page for this place.
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. Santa Clara County takes points off for each problem. Big ones take off more.
The county posts a green, yellow or red placard after each inspection, and gives routine inspections a score. In the county's data, a routine inspection with no violations listed scored 100, and the score drops as violations are found. The county's page does not say which scores or findings give each color: ask the department.
- Inspection type
- Follow-up inspection
- Result
- Green placard
- Source
- County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
This is not an official ranking or grade. See the official source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (opens the department's site) .
Information on this page may be out of date. Check the original source to confirm.