State Far From Meeting Food Inspection Standards
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Rhode Island's inability to meet what would be considered even basic levels of health inspection of food establishments is staggering; at least the numbers are.
There are 8,000 food establishments - from restaurants and diners to nursing homes and schools - in the state. There are only seven Department of Health environmental health food specialists and inspectors.
Do the math. Even working seven days a week, 365 days a year, that comes down to the handful of inspectors conducting over three ostensibly thorough inspections per day, every day, to get to all the facilities they are charged with regulating. And that doesn't take into account writing up reports, inspections sparked by complaints, or being taken off their regular schedules to respond to flare-ups like the recent incident of contaminated zeppoles that resulted in dozens falling sick and one death.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLooking at the Real Numbers
"Those aren't even the real numbers," said state Sen. John Tassoni. "It's not even an inspection every two or three years, it's every five years, when you count in vacations, sick time and everything" for the inspection staff.
Tassoni raised the alert about the situation on Wednesday when he called for everyone involved - the governor's office, DOH, and Senate and House Finance Committees - to find more funding for the health inspections.
'"The shortage of food inspectors poses an increased risk of food-borne illness," said Tassoni.
An Open Secret
A general lack of inspections save for a visit every two years or so is an open secret in the Rhode Island food industry.
Sean Debobes, a veteran RI-certified food safety manager who works for a large food service in Providence said, “Unless you are high risk, like nursing homes, you only get inspected if they get a complaint about you.”
While everyone believes their own favorite eating spot is as clean as can be, the DOH does offer an on-line service where you can look up any violations by a restaurant. It also offers "e-alerts" as to when your special dining spot is to be inspected. (A quick, hands-on test of the site revealed that at least one high-class eatery favored by the state's political elite had been cited for minor violations.)
500 Inspections Per Year Still Short
Annemarie Beardsworth, spokesperson for the DOH, said, “In an ideal world, the benchmark is an inspector who is doing 500 inspections a year. That includes routine inspections as well as complaints – which require an unannounced follow-up visit to see if violations have been corrected - and the opening of new establishments.”
That would come down to 3,500 inspections a year in Rhode Island, not enough to cover even half of the facilities DOH regulates. And it is light years from what a truly comprehensive program would provide.
“Also, ideally, you would inspect an establishment two times year,” Beardsworth added. That would be 16,000 visits per year. For seven people.
That results in a current scenario that is more than an impossible task. It is amplified by the highly publicized St. Joseph’s Day zeppole outbreak, or last year’s contaminated pepper salmonella problem with Rhode Island-based Danielle’s salami.
In situations like those, where an investigation is required, members of the meager force of state inspectors are pulled off their normal routines to help discover the source of the sickness, putting them further behind.
What Cost to the Taxpayer?
The cost of beefing up the number of inspectors will come down to what kind of increased funding the state would be willing to provide. An average salary for a food health specialist is approximately $45,000.
Doubling the workforce to 14 – while at the desired 500 inspections per year would still not reach the full 8,000 establishments needing review – would cost taxpayers $315,000 more per year. Getting the number up to 28 in an attempt to reach the twice-a-year health inspection gold standard would result in a total budget for the program of $1.2 million plus.
Is it worth it?
No Perfect Worlds
“In a perfect world, yes,” said Beardsworth of an expanded budget. “But we have significant financial challenges in the state right now.”
Even Sen. Tassoni doesn’t want to go whole hog in funding, saying “I’m just looking to do the job at a decent level. Let common sense prevail. But give it a right amount of money.”
“You can’t wait for someone to die in a nursing home, or to have someone die in a restaurant,” Tassoni said. “We have to be proactive, not reactive to something like an emergency (referring to the zeppole-induced calamity).”
In Tassoni’s view, the problem lies with heavy-handed cuts in public service made by the Carcieri administration. He believes that the job loss left “people on the ground being run ragged,” referring to the plight of the inspectors.
Tassoni took one last swipe at Carcieri, his labor cuts, and the dire situation of the health inspectors: “I used to say, ‘Let me know where Carcieri’s eating,’ because I knew that restaurant’s been inspected.”
On-site Food Safety Control
One thing the state has built into its regulations that serves as a hedge against the low rate of inspections is requiring food establishments to have certified food safety managers such as the experienced Debobes on-site - individuals who have undergone training and official certification, which is renewed every three years.
Small establishments are required to have at least one safety manager “if potentially hazardous foods are prepared,” while those "with 10 or more full-time employees directly involved in food preparation must employ at least two full-time, on-site food safety managers.” The “elderly or individuals with diminished immune systems” also require special attention.
Typically, according to DOH’s Beardsworth, these quality control managers are chefs, owners and/or restaurant managers who have a higher level of responsibility at their business site overall.
But who is to know if these certified food safety professionals are indeed on-site all the time? Hopefully those at the food establishments believe, as does Tassoni, “When you’re dealing with people’s lives, you have to do it right.”
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