San Mateo County food inspections revamped

In a move away from the historic approach of visual inspections, San Mateo County Environmental Health Services now uses a risk-based system that includes how the food is prepared and that managers and workers are properly educated on how to keep illness at bay.

“We really like to follow the path of the food from the back door and watch or have its path explained. How do they accept it? Are temperatures and conditions logged? Does it go into the cooler immediately? It’s the chance to identify and help the facility identify the possible links in that chain of the food-borne process,” said Environmental Health Director Dean Peterson.

The county began looking at a change about four to five years ago with plans to reduce the number of illnesses and about three years ago in earnest started making actual changes based on the Food and Drug Administration’s own comprehensive risk-based approach.

The changes include placing food establishments in one of three risk categories which either decreases or increases the number of annual inspections, adjusts fees for those inspections and give inspectors the chance to form better relationships with owners, Peterson said.

The inspection fee adjustments began Jan. 1. Previously, any of the county’s 4,000-plus establishments paid the same amount and were slated for unannounced inspections the same number of times each year — a lofty three to four which Peterson said was hard to meet. Now, it depends.

A category one establishment is the lowest risk like convenience stores, coffee shops and sellers of prepackaged foods like muffins that don’t require cooking and can sit at room temperature. The FDA recommends visiting only once a year unless there are concerns and that fee is now $459.

Category 2 could be a retail store or school where food preparation involves reheating rather than cooking raw ingredients and temperature is the primary concern. Visits are recommended twice a year. The inspection fee for such a site with 10 or less seats is $612.

Category three is the highest risk for full-service restaurants involving more complex preparation from raw to cooked which requires correct processes, cooling and heating. The guidelines recommend three visits a year and inspection costs for a category 3 facility with 10 or fewer seats is $1,071.

San Mateo County is among the first in the state to use the risk-based approach, Peterson said.

The biggest thing Peterson said the system is seeing is that inspectors can spend more time at a facility and managers and staff become more comfortable asking questions or working to fix problems. Peterson said the goal is not just enforcement but also providing education for “teachable moments.”

Every person or business involved in the food chain from farmers to consumers has some responsibility for food safety but it’s also critical for the county’s food establishments to maintain their own safety systems, said county Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow.

The new assessment guidelines do not include food trucks which are a separate category and inspected at least once a year when they come in for permits. However, Peterson said, the trucks come in empty rather than while preparing food and the health officials are working on ways to better inspect them in the field.

The county is also working on color-coded placards in future years to alert customers to inspection grades. Restaurants are currently mandated to post the latest inspection report but compliance is only about 50 percent, Peterson said.

Those with concerns or complaints should call Environmental Health directly at 373-6200 for the most immediate response. Complaints can also be filed online at www.smchealth.org/food where visitors can also sign up for email notification of violations each Thursday.

michelle@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 102