Focus of Study
As the result of the recent disclosure on local television of an instance of bribery of an Environmental Health Inspector, plus the reported practice of re-packaging and re-dating of meats which exceeded original expiration dates, the Health and Human Services Committee decided to investigate the procedure by which restaurants and food markets are inspected and graded. To assess the need for an in-depth investigation of the inspection process, the Committee decided to accompany inspectors from the Department of Environmental Health Services (a division of the Los Angeles County Health Department) as they conducted their normal facility inspection visits. Based on this first-hand observation we felt that we would be in a better position to determine whether a more extensive audit would be appropriate.
Methodology
Committee members, in teams of two, requested and were welcomed on "Ride-Alongs" with Environmental Health Specialists to observe the procedure by which restaurants and food markets are inspected and graded. Five such "Ride-Alongs" were conducted with an inspector. Each Committee member participated in at least one inspection trip (two or three sites visited on each trip). Each "Ride-Along" was in a different district of the county. At the beginning of each inspection trip the Committee members were oriented to the process and the educational requirements necessary to qualify as an inspector. Each specialist appeared well qualified.
1. There are about 36,000 restaurants and food markets in Los Angeles County that have to be inspected every six months, and if a problem is identified, a repeat inspection is performed. These facilities are located in 21 districts.
The Department of Environmental Health is authorized to fund 140 inspectors. Not all positions are always filled, adding to the heavy load the present cadre carries. All the inspectors who the Committee members accompanied were pleasant and willing to share their expertise. Their demeanor was professional and very courteous as theyperformed their less-than-popular work. At the conclusion of the inspection an "exit conference" discussed the inspection and any negative findings to be included in the report, along with guidelines for correcting the noted deficiencies and the timetable for any needed re-inspection.
2. Types of facilities inspected:
a. Restaurants: A total of nine restaurants were inspected; two received a continuation of their A grade; two received a continuation of a B grade; two were demoted one grade; one was upgraded from a C to a B grade; one was demoted from and A to a C grade; and one continued to receive a C grade.
b. Food markets: Two large food markets were inspected. In neither was there any meat on display that had exceeded its expiration date; i.e, were outdated. If any products were found that were outdating on the day of inspection, they were immediately removed from display. Bent cans that could be spoiling were also arbitrarily removed from the shelves.
3. The use of hair nets was noted by the Committee members to be sporadic and not consistently documented. Also noted by Committee members was an occasional fabric floor covering that was severely worn and badly soiled.
4. In addition to the "Ride-Alongs" with the Environmental Health Specialists, the entire Committee toured the kitchen and cafeteria of the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, and noted:
a. Hair nets were in universal use; in fact, the Committee members were supplied with, and required to wear hair nets during the tour.
b. The grade card (an A) was not on display.
c. Cleanliness was exemplary.
5. Los Angeles County Ordinance 97-0071, effective January 14, 1998, provides for the inspection of Food Service Facilities in Los Angeles County, but allows for the incorporated cities within its boundaries to enact the provisions, or reject these service standards by city council action. While the majority of the cities have already enacted the provisions of this ordinance requiring the posting of letter grades in the window of food purveyors (51 of the 88 cities in L. A. County), six voted to not adopt these provisions, and the remainder are in the process of consideration of this ordinance.
The cities that have rejected the adoption of L. A. County Ordinance 97-0071 are: Avalon, Baldwin Park, Hawthorne, La Habra Heights, Signal Hill, and South Pasadena. Three additional cities that are residential only have voted not to adopt the Ordinance as it is not applicable to them. They are: Bradbury, Hidden Hills, and Rolling Hills.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Department of Health Services:
1. Enforce the use of hair restraints in all food preparation and service areas in all facilities.
2. Require a higher standard of inspection of fabric floor coverings, and perhaps consider ultimately banning their use in food display and service areas.
3. Make customer areas of restaurants subject to the same standard of cleanliness as the food preparation areas.
4. Retain, and possibly increase the inspector quota to insure the continuance of present standards.
It is further strongly recommended that:
The city council of each incorporated city within Los Angeles County should implement the provisions of County Ordinance 97-0071 without delay.
On the basis of the above findings, no further investigation of the Food Service Facility inspection process by the Grand Jury is indicated at this time.