Pink buildup in ice machine, fruit kept too warm: 2 Los Banos food spots fail health inspections

Two Los Banos food businesses received “unsatisfactory” ratings from Merced County health inspectors in early November, the lowest of the county’s three ratings, according to the county’s online inspection records. A business with 14 violation points or more gets that rating and has to be inspected again.

Rare Earth Coffee’s management said its problems were fixed the evening of the inspection. United Paleteria Y Neveria couldn’t be reached for comment.

At a glance

• Rare Earth Coffee, 2510 E. Pacheco Blvd.: 19 points on Nov. 5. The biggest problem was a pink buildup in the ice machine. The shop says everything was addressed that evening.
• United Paleteria Y Neveria #10, 2160 E. Pacheco Blvd., Suite J: 15 points on Nov. 4. The biggest problems were cut fruit kept at 44 degrees and dishwashing water that wasn’t hot enough. The shop couldn’t be reached for comment.
• What’s next: Both need a follow-up inspection. As of Nov. 13, the county hadn’t posted one for either business.

An inspection shows conditions on the day of one visit. In each business’s previous inspection on the county’s site, it was rated “good”: Rare Earth Coffee with no violation points in March 2025, and United Paleteria Y Neveria with 6 points in June 2023.

Rare Earth Coffee: 19 points

The largest deduction, 7 points, was for the ice machine. The inspector found a pink buildup on its drip tray and described it as biofilm, a slimy layer that can form on wet surfaces. The inspector also found ice scoops stored inside the ice with their handles touching it. The shop was told to stop using that machine until it was cleaned and sanitized, throw out its ice and send a photo as proof, according to the report.

The other major violations:

• No working hand-washing sink at the front coffee bar. It had no spout or soap dispenser. (3 points)
• No certified food manager. Staff couldn’t show a food manager certificate, which at least one employee is required to hold. (3 points)

What the shop says

“We take food safety and our health inspections seriously,” the shop’s management said in an email to Merced Neighbors. The items in the report “were addressed that same evening,” and the shop has sent the county updates and records of what it fixed, according to the email. “At this time, we are waiting for the county to return for the follow-up inspection.”

Management also said:

• The ice machine and ice scoops were cleaned and corrected right away.
• The front hand-washing sink isn’t in use, and neither is the front counter. The shop has three other hand-washing sinks for staff. The inspector’s report says the sink has to be repaired and working even if that area isn’t being used.
• The food manager certificate couldn’t be found during the inspection, and the shop is working on that paperwork.
• The oven is a commercial, NSF-certified model, and the shop is working with the county on the approval and paperwork for it.

“We understand that receiving an unsatisfactory inspection is something we need to take seriously,” management wrote. The shop is also doing a broader refresh of the Los Banos location, including closing early on some days for cleaning, organizing and other improvements, according to the email.

Smaller violations, 1 point each

• Equipment. Ice from the walk-in freezer’s cooling unit had broken off and landed on packaged food, which the inspector counted as contamination. A chest freezer that isn’t commercial grade has to be removed, a microwave that isn’t commercial grade can stay only for employee use, an oven was installed without the county’s approval, and debris had built up under a refrigerator that was missing its wheels.
• Food and debris had built up in the floor drains under the ice machines and coffee bar, which the inspector said can attract pests.
• An espresso machine’s filter basket had been filled with grounds while no customers were waiting.
• Trash bags were stored next to the dishwashing sink instead of in a closed container.
• A drain line under the coffee machine sat too low in the floor drain, without the required 1-inch gap.
• The permit and inspection notice weren’t posted where customers could see them. This was fixed during the inspection.

United Paleteria Y Neveria: 15 points

The inspector found the prep refrigerator closest to the register at 44 degrees with cut fruit and other perishable food inside. The limit is 41 degrees. The report notes the temperature dropped, and the shop was told to send a photo showing it stays below 41.

The other major violations, 3 points each:

• Hot water too cool. Water at the three-compartment sink used for washing dishes measured 113 degrees. The minimum is 120.
• Hand-washing sink blocked and out of paper towels. A shaved-ice machine was in front of the paper towel dispenser at the front sink, and the dispenser was empty.
• Ice scoop handle in the ice. The handle was taken out and the ice it touched was removed during the inspection.

What the shop says

Merced Neighbors tried to reach United Paleteria Y Neveria for comment on Nov. 13, but the email address listed on the shop’s Facebook page didn’t work, and the page didn’t offer a way to send a message. This story will be updated if the shop responds.

Smaller violations, 1 point each

• The refrigerator’s own thermometer read 40 degrees while the food inside was at 44, so it has to be fixed or replaced.
• Equipment that couldn’t be confirmed as commercial grade, including a waffle maker, two chest freezers, a crepe maker, a slow cooker and a shaved-ice machine. The shop has to show they’re certified for commercial use or stop using them. The county’s 2023 inspection raised the same question about a waffle maker and an ice shaver.
• Staff couldn’t produce a copy of the last inspection report, and the inspection notice was posted in the back instead of where customers could see it.

Other inspections Nov. 2 to 10

No other business inspected from Nov. 2 to Nov. 10 is listed as unsatisfactory on the county’s site, which shows each business’s most recent inspection. Businesses with 0 to 6 points are rated good, and 7 to 13 points is satisfactory.

Satisfactory (7 to 13 points)

• Brothers Food Mart, 690 Hammatt Ave., Livingston (Nov. 9)
• Los Gordos, 700 Hammatt Ave., Livingston (Nov. 9)
• El Rinconito Cocina Mexicana, 2031 Blossom St., Dos Palos (Nov. 4)
• La Tiendita, 1925 F St., Livingston (Nov. 4)
• Deli Delicious, 1380 E. Pacheco Blvd., Suite B, Los Banos (Nov. 3)
• La Michoacana, 655 I St., Los Banos (Nov. 3)
• Wienerschnitzel, 911 W. Pacheco Blvd., Los Banos (Nov. 3)
• Klairs, 711 Main St., Livingston (Nov. 2)
• Mountain Mike’s Pizza, 509 Pacheco Blvd., Los Banos (Nov. 2)

Good (0 to 6 points)

• Dunkin’, 805 S. Coffee St., Merced (Nov. 10)
• Big Dawg Bites, 3115 Stratofortress Dr., Atwater (Nov. 9)
• MCRM Senior Meals Program, 2550 Linden Ave., Atwater (Nov. 9)
• MCRM Senior Meals Program, 7091 W. Walnut Ave., Winton (Nov. 9)
• Royal India Indian Cuisine, 3040 Park Ave., Suite E-2, Merced (Nov. 9)
• Sage Eats, 3115 Stratofortress Ave., Atwater (Nov. 9)
• La Autentica Ice Cream and Snacks, 225 Seventh St., Suite C, Los Banos (Nov. 4)
• McDonald’s, 2720 Shaffer Road, Atwater (Nov. 4)
• The Servatorium, 1548 Center Ave., Dos Palos (Nov. 4)
• Chentes Tacos, 1857 Bellevue Road, Atwater (Nov. 3)
• El Sabor De Oaxaca, 6920 Bridget Ct., Winton (Nov. 3)
• Taco Bell, 1236 Pacheco Blvd., Los Banos (Nov. 3)
• McDonald’s, 3140 Campus Parkway, Merced (Nov. 2)
• Starbucks, 856 S. Coffee St., Merced (Nov. 2)

You can look up any business’s inspection history on the county’s food inspection site.

Sources: Merced County Division of Environmental Health inspection reports for Rare Earth Coffee and United Paleteria Y Neveria #10, and the county’s food inspection list, viewed Nov. 13, 2026.