Milwaukee Sentry Foods at 71st and Lisbon closed due to 'pest activity'

By and
Published  March 26, 2026 2:31pm CDT
FOX6 News Milwaukee

MHD closure sign at Sentry Foods

The Brief

    • The Milwaukee Health Department ordered the Sentry Foods at 71st and Lisbon to close twice in March due to ongoing pest activity.
    • After a brief reopening following the first incident, the store was shuttered again on March 25 and will stay closed until the violations are fully resolved.
    • MHD noted that these closures are standard procedure for public health protection, with roughly 250 to 300 similar temporary closures happening citywide each year.

MILWAUKEE - A Sentry Foods grocery store in Milwaukee is currently closed due to pest activity.

Sentry Foods closed

What we know:

The City of Milwaukee Health Department issued an order to cease operations at Sentry Foods at 71st and Lisbon on March 2 due to pest activity that was seen during an inspection.

The grocery store reopened the next day after addressing the violations identified in the report, and the health department conducted a follow-up inspection on March 12 to verify compliance.

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It then conducted a routine inspection on March 25 and re-issued the order to cease operations after more evidence of pest activity was found. The grocery store will remain closed until the issue is resolved and verified through reinspection.

Sentry Foods at 71st and Lisbon

What we don't know:

It is not known what kinds of pests were found during the inspections.

What they're saying:

Milwaukee Alderwoman Sharlen Moore tells FOX6 the owner is working with the city to get the issue resolved and get the store back up and running again.

People that have been showing up say this is a very active grocery store in the area that many people depend on.

"I'm wondering if it's gonna take a week or two weeks because people need to get their things and this is accessible for the neighborhood. You don't have to go way somewhere else to get what you need," said Mattie Oglesby.

FOX6 has tried to get in touch with the owner of the business but has not heard back.

The Milwaukee Health Department

Big picture view:

The Milwaukee Health Department conducts more than 10,000 food inspections each year across the city, including routine, follow-up, and complaint-driven inspections.

It says that temporary closures are not unusual and can occur for a variety of reasons beyond pests, including licensing issues, lack of hot water, or sewage concerns.

On an annual basis, the food inspection team typically issues between 250 and 300 orders to cease operations. The number issued so far this year is consistent with previous years.

The Source: The City of Milwaukee Health Department sent FOX6 the information. FOX6 also went to the grocery store.

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