3315 17 Avenue SE · SOUTHVIEW
African Variety Store is in the SOUTHVIEW neighbourhood. SOUTHVIEW, Calgary has 77 restaurants tracked on Pass or Fail, inspected by Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health. As of April 8, 2026, there are 52 (68%) that have passed their most recent inspection, with no closures.
This restaurant has been inspected 8 times since August 23, 2024, with 7 passes and 1 closure on record.
Observation Feb 04, 2026. , No food safe sanitizer prepared. , , Observation Jan 29, 2026., No food‑safe sanitizer was prepared at the time of inspection, - Ensure a food‑safe sanitizer is prepared and readily available during all hours of operation (e.g., 100 ppm chlorine solution).
This record comes from Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health, which inspects food premises across Alberta. Inspectors record any violations of applicable health regulations on each visit. The result above is the most recent inspection on file.
Alberta records each visit as either a routine inspection (with any violations noted) or a closed order. If you see violations listed without a closed order, the operator was allowed to continue while addressing them. A closed order means the inspector required the kitchen to stop serving customers until the issues were corrected.
Feb 04, 2026 Observation, Substantial amount of mice droppings, live and dead bugs noted in the basement, including but not limited to furnace rooms, behind the pallets, on packaged of dried goods, on the pot tables. , , Observation Jan 29, 2026., Mouse droppings were observed throughout the basement facility, including but not limited to the furnace room, dry‑goods storage rooms, and flour‑grinding room, as well as on top of packaged foods and other goods. A professional pest‑monitoring service is currently active at the facility., - Organize and properly store all food, goods, and equipment so the entire basement area is accessible for thorough inspection and cleaning. Remove all mouse droppings and contaminated materials. Follow all recommendations from the pest‑monitoring service, including sealing gaps at the back door and ceiling.
A flour grinding room was set up without AHS approval., Possible repackaging activity was observed in the far west storage room without prior AHS approval. , - Immediately stop production until approval is granted.
Observation Jan 29, 2026. , Five basement freezers were found storing bags of frozen chicken that lacked labels or tags to verify their sources. All unlabelled chicken were ceased onsite, - Provide information to verify the source , , ** The violations still exist** as Jan 29, 2026, 1. Repacked food items were not labeled in the meat section. The unlabeled food items were not discarded as purchase receipts were present onsite. , , **Label all the meat packages with date, store name/contact information and product name. Develop a method ( for example lot number) to track the small meat packages with their source., , 2. Home-made sauce containers were observed in the display. Operator discarded the sauces during inspection. , Home-made butter were observed next to the honey. Operator removed the butter during inspection. ^ Jan 29, 2026. , , **All the food items in the facility must be from approved sources.
No food‑safe sanitizer was prepared at the time of inspection, - Ensure a food‑safe sanitizer is prepared and readily available during all hours of operation (e.g., 100 ppm chlorine solution).
Trays of beef strips were found drying in the basement furnace room at room temperature without an approved meat‑drying process, - Discard the beef strips immediately and submit a written meat‑drying procedure for approval before resuming this activity., , The operator was grinding unapproved dried beef strip in the meat shop. , - The operator immediately discarded/removed the beef strip and sanitized the grinder.
The basement handwashing sink did not have soap equipped. , - Equip soap for proper handwashing.
Mouse droppings were observed throughout the basement facility, including but not limited to the furnace room, dry‑goods storage rooms, and flour‑grinding room, as well as on top of packaged foods and other goods. A professional pest‑monitoring service is currently active at the facility., - Organize and properly store all food, goods, and equipment so the entire basement area is accessible for thorough inspection and cleaning. Remove all mouse droppings and contaminated materials. Follow all recommendations from the pest‑monitoring service, including sealing gaps at the back door and ceiling.
Multiple freezers in the basement have overrun frozen meat juice and blood inside., - Clean and sanitize the freezers.
Mold growth was noted near the baseboard and ceiling along the north‑facing wall inside the flour‑grinding room., - Remediate the mold issue and address the underlying moisture source., , The seal between the basement handwashing sink and the wall is cracked., - Reseal the gap to ensure the sink is properly affixed and the area remains cleanable
The wooden pallets inside the walk‑in cooler were visibly soiled with blood and dried meat., - Ensure the pallets are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, or replace them with cleanable alternatives., , Multiple folded empty cardboard boxes were stored in food‑prep areas, including on top of the saw and grinder., - Store cardboard in a location protected from contamination and away from food‑prep areas, or discard the cardboard., , Cardboard was being used as a barrier on top of the grease trap., - Remove the cardboard immediately, as it is not a cleanable surface., , Grease noted on the wall and door nearby the beef drying areas in the basement. , - Clean and sanitize the areas.
A flour grinding room was set up without AHS approval., Possible repackaging activity was observed in the far west storage room without prior AHS approval. , - Immediately stop production until approval is granted.
** The violations still exist**, 1. Repacked food items were not labeled in the meat section. The unlabeled food items were not discarded as purchase receipts were present onsite. , , **Label all the meat packages with date, store name/contact information and product name. Develop a method ( for example lot number) to track the small meat packages with their source., , 2. Home-made sauce containers were observed in the display. Operator discarded the sauces during inspection. , , **All the food items in the facility must be from approved sources.
1. Chlorine sanitizer concentration was greater than 100 ppm, which is not food grade., , **Keep chlorine sanitizer at 100 ppm all times. Verify using available test strips., , 2. Cleaning cloth was submerged in the visibly soiled sanitizer solution., , **Change sanitizer at least every 2 hours, or more often if visibly soiled.
Homemade dry meat was observed on the counter which was removed from sale during the inspection. , , **Prepare and cook food on the premises only.
**The violation still exists during current inspection**, Meat boxes were stored on the floor in walking cooler., , **Store all the food items on shelf or minimum 6 inches above the ground.
1. The meat slicer had a visible debris build up, which can lead to cross contamination., , **Clean and disinfect.
**The violation still exists**, Deep cleaning is required in the meat section and around the 2 compartments sink in the back area in grocery section., , **Clean above-mentioned areas and develop a cleaning schedule.
**Violation still exists during current inspection**, The facility did not have cleaning schedule., , **Prepare and implement the cleaning plan and develop a schedule.
** The violations still exist**, 1. Repacked food items were not labeled in the meat section. The unlabeled food items were not discarded as purchase receipts were present onsite. , , **Label all the meat packages with date, store name/contact information and product name. Develop a method ( for example lot number) to track the small meat packages with their source., , 2. Home-made sauce containers were observed in the display. Operator discarded the sauces during inspection. , , **All the food items in the facility must be from approved sources.
1. Chlorine sanitizer concentration was greater than 100 ppm, which is not food grade., , **Keep chlorine sanitizer at 100 ppm all times. Verify using available test strips., , 2. Cleaning cloth was submerged in the visibly soiled sanitizer solution., , **Change sanitizer at least every 2 hours, or more often if visibly soiled.
Homemade dry meat was observed on the counter which was removed from sale during the inspection. , , **Prepare and cook food on the premises only.
Sliced meat was being marinated at the room temperature on the 2-compartment sink on food trays. In addition, food trays were stacked on top of each other with meat coming into direct contact with the bottom of the trays. Operator discarded the meat during the inspection., , **Keep high risk food at 4*C or below. If food is sitting in the temperature danger zone of 4*C - 60*C for more than two hours, it needs to be discarded.
**The violation still exists during current inspection**, Meat boxes were stored on the floor in walking cooler., , **Store all the food items on shelf or minimum 6 inches above the ground.
1. The door of the chest freezer beside the back area entrance was broken., , **Repair the freezer door., , 2. The meat slicer had a visible debris build up, which can lead to cross contamination., , **Clean and disinfect.
**The violation still exists**, Deep cleaning is required in the meat section and around the 2 compartments sink in the back area in grocery section., , **Clean above-mentioned areas and develop a cleaning schedule.
**Violation still exists during current inspection**, The facility did not have cleaning schedule., , **Prepare and implement the cleaning plan and develop a schedule.
** The violations still exists**, 1. Repacked food items were not labeled on grocery side., The unlabeled food items were removed from the shelves during inspection., - Label the food items., 2. A few small containers of honey were observed on the shelf in meat section. , - The honey was removed from the shelf. The honey must be purchased from an approved source.
New shipment of eggs was measured at 17C., - Ensure new shipment of potentially hazardous foods are brought to the cooler as soon as possible to limit time in the temperature danger zone (4-60C)., - Eggs were moved into walk-in cooler during the inspection.
**The violation still exists during current inspection**, Meat containers and boxes were stored on the floor in walkin cooler., Ensure to store all the food items on shelf or minimum 6 inches above the ground.
**The violation still exists during current inspection**, A deep cleaning is required in meat and grocery re-packing area., Ensure to clean floor, walls and hard to reach areas., Please develop a cleaning schedule., A blank cleaning schedule template was sent via email.
The facility did not have cleaning schedule., - Prepare and implement the cleaning plan and develop a schedule.
1. Repacked food items were not labeled on grocery side., The unlabeled food items were removed from the shelves during inspection., - Label the food items., 2. A few small containers of honey were observed on the shelf in meat section. , - The honey was removed from the shelf. The honey must be purchased from an approved source.
Staff was weighing pieces of meat directly on the weighing scale without any barriers and not cleaning and sanitizing the scale surface after use., - Use a clean bag or container to weigh meat on the scale.
Display cooler measured to be at 9C. The temperature of the meat in the cooler ranged between 5-6C., The meat from the cooler was shifted to walkin cooler during inspection. , - Repair the display cooler.
**The violation still exists during current inspection**, Meat containers and boxes were stored on the floor in walkin cooler., Ensure to store all the food items on shelf or minimum 6 inches above the ground.
The facility did not have cleaning schedule., - Prepare and implement the cleaning plan and develop a schedule.
**The violation still exists during current inspection**, A deep cleaning is required in meat and grocery re-packing area., Ensure to clean floor, walls and hard to reach areas., Please develop a cleaning schedule., A blank cleaning schedule template was sent via email.