Thread: Food safety

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Food safety

A bill to ensure that restaurant patrons get properly prepared food passed unanimously last night despite the possibility of an added cost to the city.

Introduced in June by Alderwoman Classie G. Hoyle, D-Ward 3, the food safety bill will require on-site managers at commercial food service operations to watch over meal preparation from start to finish and will create a food service certification program, to be handled by the Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Programs.

The department will keep a registry of certified managers and develop a test for food handling, storage, preparation, facility maintenance, food allergens, illness prevention and supervising and promoting good hygiene and hand-washing among employees.

Ms. Hoyle said she crafted the bill after listening to horror stories from constituents about food handling at city restaurants.

City officials determined that the bill would require additional staffing for either the city or county, which currently performs all city restaurant inspections. Additional inspectors could cost as much as $225,000.

"This is a very unfriendly fiscal impact note," said Ms. Hoyle, whose ward includes a significant portion of the city's growing Hispanic immigrant community. "We have thousands of illegal immigrants coming to our country without shots, and a lot of communicable diseases are spread from those without shots. One life lost is not worth $225,000."

Ms. Hoyle said she didn't intend to directly target the immigrant community, an important labor pool for the hospitality industry, but is addressing concerns expressed to her by constituents.

"I am not a supporter of illegal immigrants, but a staunch supporter of the Hispanic community," she said. "I was just doing my duty as a representative of the whole community and not just one group of individuals."

The bill requires certified food managers to be available during business hours starting July 1. After July 1, 2009, the manager must be on-site during business hours.

County health inspectors will continue surveying the city's restaurants and ask if a trained food service facility manager is on-site. If none is, the city will issue a citation.

The county is working on a similar requirement, but it won't be submitted until after the November elections, Ms. Hoyle said.


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I am glad to see that others see that there is a problem. I like what they do in South Florida with problem restaurants. Violators are named in the newpaper and some get on the local news. They list the restaurant and what violations they were caught with. This hits them where it hurts as even once the problem is corrected and the place is reopened, many people don't come back.
One recommendation I give people is to use the restroom before you order anything. I go and wash my hands and if I find no hot water coming out of the tap, I leave and go elsewhere. How can employees wash their hands or dishes be washed properly with no hot water. This is unsafe. It doesn't matter if the restaurant is cheap or expensive to find no hot water.