Health inspectors shut down Whole Foods in Cupertino

A troubled Whole Foods Market store in the South Bay has been shut down by county health inspectors over food safety violations.

The store at 20955 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino, which had parts of its operations halted earlier this month over vermin violations, had its permit to operate suspended and was forced to temporarily close, according to the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health.

"The permit to operate has been temporarily suspended at this facility," officials said in a statement. "A permit suspension occurs when an imminent threat to health and safety is observed and the violation(s) cannot be corrected. The facility must be closed until the violation is corrected and the permit is reinstated."

NBC Bay Area obtained the Department of Environmental Health report that showed an inspector found rodent droppings in various spots throughout the store, and at eight points the inspector observed rodents, insects, birds or animals.

Whole Foods Market corporate responded with its own statement: "Our Cupertino location is temporarily closed while we complete necessary maintenance and repairs. We will reopen once the repairs are completed thoroughly to support our high standards for food safety and service. We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience."

On April 8, county health inspectors closed the deli and bakery at the same Whole Foods store over vermin contamination. It was the second time in two weeks those sections of the store had been shut down, with the previous closure coming March 26.

It will be up to heath officials to decide if or when the store is clean enough to reopen. There is no set timetable on when that is expected to happen.