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Pecos grocery store cited for selling expired juice

More than a dozen bottles of expired juice were pulled from shelves Wednesday afternoon during a health inspection at a Pecos grocery store, officials said.
The S. Eddy Street business proudly recognizes itself as Pecos' only grocery store. (Source: KWES)

PECOS, TX (KWES) - More than a dozen bottles of expired juice were pulled from shelves Wednesday afternoon during a health inspection at a Pecos grocery store, officials said.

The 90-minute inspection was conducted after a complainant reported purchasing fermented apple juice with a 2013 "sell-by" date from La Tienda, located at 810 S. Eddy St., according to Pecos Health Inspector Jack Brookshire.

"The oldest one that we did find was from May 2016," he said. "There were probably 15 to 20 total that were expired."

The La Tienda manager is unavailable for comment until Friday, according to an employee who identified herself as "the person currently in charge."

Management had not received any complaints about expired juice, she added.

La Tienda, Pecos' only grocery store, is not affiliated with an Odessa business that shares the same name.

Brookshire will return "within several days" to make sure expired products are removed from shelves, he said.

The business could face fines and, ultimately, closure if they remain out of compliance.

No other violations were noted during Wednesday's inspection, officials said.

Brookshire admitted it was possible he missed other expired food items, explaining the inspection process did not require officials to "look at every single product in the entire store."

He checked items "at random" and was satisfied with everything he saw aside from the juice aisle, he added.

However, the woman who lodged the initial complaint about expired apple juice at La Tienda insisted quality control was an ongoing problem at the store.

"It's the only grocery store in town... and many of us work [or have family members who work] in the oilfield," she said. "There is no time for food poisoning. A day off means getting laid off."

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