Cockroaches and cold meat: 11 FAQs about how SL County health inspectors do their jobs

Cockroaches and cold meat: 11 FAQs about how SL County health inspectors do their jobs

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SALT LAKE CITY — Food is one of the greatest joys in life.

There’s nothing better than sitting down at a tasty restaurant and perusing the menu while your stomach rumbles in anticipation. There’s nothing worse, however, than walking up to one of your favorite haunts and seeing that it’s closed ... for health violations!

Your mind starts to race. You wonder if you ever accidentally ate a bug while dining there.

So what does a health inspector do to make sure your favorite restaurant is properly storing, preparing and cooking the food you order?

Salt Lake County Health Department spokesman and licensed health inspector Nicholas Rupp spoke with KSL.com and answered all the questions you might have about how health inspectors do their job.

The department also did an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) on Reddit several months ago to answer Salt Lake County’s burning questions. (Spoiler: One of the worst things they’ve ever seen is an establishment that slaughtered live lambs on site.)

Here are answers to 11 questions from both Rupp and the department’s AMA:

How many food establishments in Salt Lake County have their permit suspended each week?

According to Rupp, the department suspends the permits of about 50 food service establishments (including restaurants, trucks, carts etc.) each year. That averages out to about one establishment a week. This year seems to be no different, and the department is right on track to reach the average, Rupp said.

When do health inspectors suspend permits?

Health inspectors will suspend a permit if there is an “imminent threat to public health,” Rupp said.

That may include just one violation that is very problematic — like not washing hands or dishes, lack of refrigeration, a sewage backup or multiple foods held at improper temperatures — or it includes an accumulation of smaller problems that together present a public health concern.

What are the most common health violations inspectors see?

The top three most common critical violations include:

  • Not cleaning food-contact, nonfood-contact and utensils thoroughly.
  • Eating, drinking or using tobacco.
  • Cold holding (keeping foods above 41 degrees Fahrenheit).

The top three most common non-critical violations include:

  • Broken facilities, such as cracked floors, small, uncleaned spills etc.
  • Not cleaning nonfood-contact surfaces, such as cabinets, drawers, shelves or the outside of the refrigerator.
  • Cleaning frequency. There should be a regular cleaning schedule.

How often do inspectors visit a restaurant?

The frequency with which inspectors visit a restaurant depends on the amount and type of foods an establishment serves, as well as how many people frequent the place, Rupp said. A restaurant will always be inspected at least once a year, but some may be inspected up to three or four times.

“A snow cone shack that serves an average of 20 people per day is not going to get inspected as often as an all-you-can-eat buffet that serves hundreds of people each day,” Rupp told KSL.com.

All inspections are unscheduled, Rupp added. Inspectors show up without the establishment knowing they’re coming, and they’ll show up every time they receive a complaint from the public that there’s a problem at an establishment.

Sometimes they'll decide to eat at a restaurant after they inspect it, and some restaurant owners even boast that the inspectors choose to eat at their establishments after inspection, according to the department’s AMA.

To report a problem with a Salt Lake County food establishment, you can call the department at 385-468-8888 or visit slco.org/health/report-a-problem/

#SLCo_HealthDep

Is there anywhere inspectors won’t eat?

It’s less about where they won’t eat and more about what they won’t eat, according to the department’s answer on their AMA.

“Some of us no longer eat rare beef (because we've seen firsthand the effects of E. coli). Others love a rare steak but won't eat runny eggs (because we know how many people get salmonella from undercooked eggs). Someone else may still eat soft eggs but won't eat alfalfa sprouts (because of how often they're implicated in food-borne illness outbreaks),” the department’s answer reads.

Their job is to help others know about any potential risks so that everyone can make an informed decision about the kind of food they’re putting in their bodies, the inspectors said.

When and how should I report a restaurant?

“Let us know any time you see something that concerns you! We can't be at every restaurant every day, so we rely on the public to alert us to problems they observe,” Rupp said.

One easy thing to do is check that the establishment has a current health department permit. It should be displayed in a visible area near the front of the restaurant or near a cash register when you come in the front door.

Rupp also suggests looking at the public areas of a restaurant like the dining room and bathrooms. If the public areas are dirty, the kitchen is probably worse. In short, whatever you can see probably mirrors what’s in the back.

Be specific about what the issue is and which establishment it’s at, Rupp said. The date and time you saw the problem is also helpful.

To report a problem with a Salt Lake County food establishment, you can call the department at 385-468-8888 or visit their online page. Rupp says the department gets several complaints a day and follows up on the complaints within three business days.

Past health violations:

Other counties have their own health department pages where citizens can report problems about food establishments in the area.

Why don’t Salt Lake/Utah establishments have their health code grades posted like other areas of the country?

This is a question the department gets a lot and the answer’s a bit of a long one, the inspectors said during the Reddit AMA.

To make a long story short, each violation carries “points” based on severity. Jurisdictions that give letter grades to restaurants assign those grades based on the number of points accumulated during the last inspection.

However, because violations are not all equal, assigning letter grades based on a cumulative total can be misleading to the public. Instead, the department makes each restaurant’s full report available online.

They know that looking it up online isn’t as convenient as seeing a letter grade out front, so they’re working on making the reports available at the front entrance.

Where can I see which restaurants have been closed by inspectors?

To see which food establishments have been closed, visit the department’s food service closure page online.

Closures are posted within two business days of when it happened. Those that are reopened will remain listed for at least seven days from the closure date. Establishments that are not reopened will remain listed for six months.

What are the worst things Salt Lake County health inspectors have seen?

Besides the lamb slaughtering, rotten animal carcasses or a ton of pests in a facility can shock even the health inspectors, the department’s AMA reads.

“It's true that pests of all kinds are common in many food establishments, irrespective of cuisine or price point. What matters is how the establishment is responding to this common challenge. What procedures are in place to control the problem? Do they have a pest control plan in place? Are they training their employees about proper food storage?” the department said.

What’s the general inspection process look like?

Each inspector has an area of the county he or she inspects, according to the department’s AMA. They will show up unannounced to a restaurant that has an inspection due, and the manager or owner will usually walk with the inspector as they look for violations.

They’ll usually start with the kitchen, check out the general dining area, restrooms and out back to make sure the establishment is disposing of waste properly.

If the violations stack up, they may conduct a follow-up inspection a few days later. If there’s anything that could directly or immediately cause illness, they will close the establishment until the restaurant corrects the hazards.

They do not fine restaurants, but they may charge a fee for the follow-up inspection.

What sort of training must restaurant employees undertake?

The Salt Lake County Health Department requires all that prepare or handle food to receive adequate food service training from the Utah Department of Health either as a certified food handler or as a certified food safety manager, Rupp said.

At least one full-time certified food safety manager has to be employed at most food establishments (daycares, health care facilities and other similar establishments that are low-risk are exempt, but workers must still have food handler cards).


KSL.com will publish a weekly report on all food establishments closed for health violations in Salt Lake County. The first will run Friday.

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