How To Read Health Inspections

When you read inspections, you'll see Critical Violations and Non-Critical Violations:

• Critical Violations refer to potential health hazards -- problems in a restaurant that could cause customers to get sick. For example, food not cooked to the proper temperature, or employees handling food with dirty hands.
• Non-Critical Violations are problems that do not directly affect a customer's health. It could be a lack of tissue in the restroom or a light bulb that is burned out.

CRITICAL VIOLATIONS: These are the biggies!

1. Poor Personal Hygiene and Infected Food Workers
   One out of every four cases of food poisoning is caused by the people who handle your food. They're either sick or they didn't properly wash their hands. Restaurant workers should stay home when they're sick -- even with a cold. They also have to make sure they do not have any exposed cuts or sores when handling food. And, they need to wash their hands often and properly with soap!
2. Temperature Problems
   Health inspectors make sure that restaurants keep food out of the Danger Zone. The Danger Zone is the temperature range in which bacteria grow and thrive. It's between 40 degrees and 140 degrees.

•  If foods stay in the Danger Zone too long, bacteria grow fast. How fast? Well, bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes. So, if food stays in the danger zone very long, it becomes loaded with disease-causing germs.
• Cooling: Cold foods such as potato salad, need to be kept below 40 degrees to stay out of the Danger Zone. When food is being cooled, it needs to get to 40 degrees in a specified amount of time to avoid bacteria growth.
• Heating: Food has to be cooked properly to kill germs. When being served, hot foods need to be held above 140 degrees. When cold food is re-heated, it should reach 165 degrees to kill bacteria.
• Note about temperatures: Each state sets its own temperature guidelines. For example, if you read a report from Alaska, cold food has to be 41 degrees, while in another state, cold food has to be held at 40 degrees.

       3.   Cross Contamination
             Cross Contamination refers to germs on the move -- germs moving from one food to another; from dirty hands onto food; and from dirty utensils and dirty countertops onto food. Common examples of Cross Contamination found by inspectors:

• Food Workers handling ready-to-eat food without gloves.
• Food Workers cutting raw chicken, then, on the same surface, cutting ready-to-eat foods such as lettuce -- without first washing the cutting board. Raw chicken is loaded with bacteria that can easily be transferred from the cutting board to the lettuce.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
When you read inspection reports, here are some terms you may not be familiar with:

1. PHF: Potentially Hazardous Food. This refers to any foods (meat, poultry, seafood, etc) that may become contaminated with bacteria if time and temperature guidelines are not followed.
2. NSF: National Sanitation Foundation. This group sets standards for equipment used in restaurant kitchens. So, a non-NSF item in a commercial kitchen, can be a violation. For example, a restaurant may have a violation for a non-NSF microwave.
3. PREP SURFACE: Any surface, such as a counter or cutting board, where food is "prepped" or prepared.
4. SANITIZER: A germ-killing solution used on dishes, utensils, prep surfaces and countertops.
5. TEST STRIPS: A small strip of paper dipped in sanitizer. It changes colors to show the restaurant whether the sanitizer is strong enough to kill germs. Test strips are generally required in commercial kitchens.
6. PPM: Parts Per Million. The measurement used to determine the strength of sanitizer.
7. STEAM TABLE: Equipment used to keep food hot, often on a buffet line. It refers to metal food pans sitting in hot water.
8. THREE COMPARTMENT SINK: At home, you wash dishes in one sink. Restaurants are required to wash utensils and dishes in a series of three sinks. The first sink has soapy, hot water. The second sink has rinse water, and the third sink has sanitizer.
9. CAN WASH: A small concrete pad with hot and cold water taps and a drain. It's used to wash trash cans to prevent the spread of germs.
10. BACK FLOW PREVENTION DEVICE: Part of a can wash. It prevents contaminated water from washing trash cans from backing up into the restaurant's water supply.
11. "Y" MIXING HOSE: A "Y" shaped hose. When connected to a hot water faucet and a cold water faucet it creates one stream. Used at the can wash.
12. GASKETS: These are the seals on the doors of refrigerators. Their purpose is to keep the door closed tightly. Gaskets are prone to wear out, and, if not cleaned properly, they become a hot spot for mold and mildew...obviously, not conducive to good sanitation.
13. HOOD: Nope, not a reference to a particular neighborhood! These are the vents over stoves that take steam and heat from the kitchen. If not cleaned regularly, hoods get dirty and greasy.
14. VACUUM BREAKER: A device attached to a faucet or hose to prevent dirty water in a sink from getting into the clean water line.