How A Health Inspector Avoids Food Poisoning Hazards!

Learn How to Identify the Signs of a Safe or Unsafe Restaurant

As soon as I tell someone I’ve just met that I was a long time health inspector, they will inevitable ask the question “How are you able to eat out anywhere” or they might make a statement along the lines of “I bet you don’t eat out much.”

The assumption in the question and statement is that, one, there are really no safe establishments to dine at, or two, that I will be able to see problems others would not be able to and therefore be turned off to eating at any particular restaurant.

The first assumption is, of course false.  There are many safe, as well as unsafe restaurants.  The issue is how to distinguish a good or safe one from an unsafe one, which leads to the second assumption which is actually true.  As an experienced health inspector, I can spot  signs, practices, etc. even as just a customer that the normal patron may not even notice; or if they do notice, do not realize the potential hazard or how to react to it.

For anyone that has experienced the debilitating and painful symptoms and effects of a food poisoning or foodborne illness, knowing what to look for, or look out for, and how to identify a safe restaurant or establishment from an unsafe one can be very valuable.   So how difficult is it to learn the basics on how to identify these signs etc.?  Piece of cake, or in other words…Not difficult at all.

The following summarizes the basics regarding details an inspector looks for during an inspection.  It is information and practices that I believe can greatly reduce your chances of contracting a food borne illness.  To see more detailed articles visit FoodPoisoningPrevention.com.

To start with I divide the basic restaurant into the following 5 areas (areas that you as a customer can observe) and give a brief description of problems and indicators to look for.  Many of these signs or practices give clues as to how well the management and staff maintain their facility and how much care they put into proper safe food processing and storage practices, (which are areas you as a customer will probably not be able to access or observe fully).

• Front Entrance – Many government jurisdictions require some type public postings at the front entrance of retail food establishments alerting the public to recent inspection results.  These posting can be a grade or some version of the inspection report noting the date of the last inspection, violations observed and compliance dates.  Look for these as you enter a restaurant and if there is some confusion as to its meaning or it’s missing all together, inquire with the host or manager.  The web site for your local environmental health program is also a good source for the latest inspection and violation details.
• Dining area - Check over your silverware, glasses, cups, dishes and even your table, to be sure that they are clean and in good condition. Look for cracks, chipped plates or food debris, smudge marks or other residue indicating an incomplete or insufficient washing and sanitizing.  Your waiter or waitress and counter staff must also be wearing clean outer garments, maintain trimmed and clean and well manicured fingernails, and not be obviously ill.  Hair restraints, hats or hair coverings do not have to be worn by wait or counter staff if they present a minimal risk of contaminating the food,  meaning they are primarily serving the food and/or preparing beverages, etc.  Also, no evidence of vermin – cockroaches or rodents, including their droppings.
• Kitchen – There is obviously so much to a kitchen, but if youi have the ability to see into the kitchen, which is possible in many restaurants, I would focus on the staff preparing and cooking, looking for good personal hygiene practices including clean clothing and aprons and hair restraints, either a hat or hair net to hold all the hair in place.  Clothing must be sufficient to cover the entire body including arms if necessary to block body hair from getting into the food.  Fingernails of food handlers must be kept clean, cut or trimmed and well manicured.   Food handlers should be wearing clean aprons and should not wipe their hands on the aprons.  Aprons must be changed frequently as they become soiled or contaminated.  Bad personal habits  (which are  also health code violations) to keep an eye out for include any use of tobacco products (smoking, chewing tobacco etc.), rubbing or picking the nose, ears, pimples or boils, licking their fingers, eating or drinking from an open cup while working, or chewing gum in the kitchen area.  Also, no obviously ill employees can work in a kitchen area.  Look for persistent sneezing, coughing, or runny nose, or discharges from the eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Restrooms You may have heard that the condition of the restroom is a good indicator of the condition of the kitchen.  From my experience I have found that this is not always true, especially if the restrooms are well maintained.  Still, it’s a good practice to check out the restrooms of a restaurant before you eat, if only to wash your hands, but also to look for signs, literal and figurative, that the employees are doing the same.  If the customer restrooms are the same ones the employees use (in more than 90 percent of establishments they are), they provide clues as to the sanitary practices of the employees.  Here are a few things I always, as a customer, look for while checking out the restroom:  filled soap and towel dispensers (no bar soap – it can be a medium and vehicle for passing germs);  running warm or hot water; filled toilet paper dispensers; no backed-up plumbing, toilets or sinks; nothing (other than janitorial supplies) accumulated or stored in the restrooms, especially no food or drink products.  Lastly, since studies still show most people don’t wash their hands after using the toilet, I recommend using the towels you use to dry your hands to both turn off the water faucets (if not hands-free), and to open the restroom door after you leave.

Undercooked or Raw – you may not see it until you actually bite into it and if you do see it immediately spit it back out, especially raw chicken or hamburger and send it back.   Hamburger makes it more into the news these days, but raw or undercooked chicken can be just as dangerous. Assume that all food you are served at a restaurant, if it is served hot or cold, is potentially hazardous.  This means it can contain and support the rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxin producing microorganisms—mainly bacteria.  A good rule to follow is that if your food is supposed to be hot, it should be hot to the touch and possibly steaming, and if cold, you have to be able to feel or sense cold at your first bite.  If anywhere between, or it feels just warm or room temperature, send it back and order something else altogether.  If the food has been out of temperature for some period of time, there is a greater chance that bacteria have taken hold and reproduced to dangerous enough numbers such that reheating, normal cooking, or refrigeration and/or freezing will not guarantee that the food is safe to consume.

If any of these conditions or signs are observed, you may be forced to make an uncomfortable decision.  Your choices are limited to either picking up and leaving altogether; bringing the observed condition to the attention of the management and hoping they will correct it or give you a satisfactory assurance that the problem will be addressed asap and is not serious; or ignore what you are seeing and take your chances.  I don’t ever recommend ignoring it but in any case you can and should notify your local Environmental Health food inspection program to make a formal complaint.  This agency is obligated to make an inspection in response to any condition observed by the public that is considered a health code violation.

I know that dining out is supposed to be a nice, relaxing experience, but keeping your eyes open and noting certain things as you enter a restaurant, wait for a table, visit the restroom and observe and taste your food can make a difference in saving you and your children, an elderly relative or friend, or other high risk person from contracting a potentially deadly food poisoning or food borne illness.