Local Food Establishments Face Tougher Inspections

By Steve Bigham

Local restaurants, delis, and donut shops are facing stricter inspections under a new set of state health regulations. The rules now call for heavier penalties for certain violations, particularly when it comes to personal hygiene.

The Newtown Health District routinely inspects food establishments to ensure public safety. Each restaurant is graded based on its performance under a long list of criteria. A grade of 79 or below is considered failure and requires a second inspection. The new rules will probably make it more difficult for places to pass, but, according to Donna McCarthy, it is not just about passing or failing. It is about ensuring people’s health, she said.

“We’re really concentrating more on food handling, food temperatures, and sanitation, specifically on hand washing and clean working surfaces,” she said.

Hand washing has become immensely important. In the past, a restaurant would only receive the maximum penalty (four points) during an inspection if a wash sink was not present in the restaurant. Now, however, the maximum penalty can be given out simply if an employee is observed not washing his or her hands.

The new rule states that “food employees shall keep their fingernails, hands, and exposed portions of their arms clean.”

Also, facilities that require a Qualified Food Operator (QFO) is now required to have a designated alternate on site if the QFO is not on site.

For now, local health inspectors like Jason Bashura, senior sanitarian, and Larry Russell, assistant sanitarian, are working to educate food service people in the new rules rather than penalize them right away.

“They’re learning about it through our inspection process. Because there is no way for them to know except for us to tell them, we will not take it off their score,” Ms McCarthy explained.

Ms McCarthy said Newtown is fortunate to have mainly family-oriented food establishments. They are the kind of places where the owners take pride in the quality of their product and make every effort to comply with the law.

In Connecticut, full-scale restaurants are considered Class 4 establishments and are inspected four times a year. Delis are Class 3 and receive three inspections annually. Bakeries are class 2 and are inspected twice a year, while convenient stores (Class 1) are inspected just once a year because they sell only prepacked food products.

 The Newtown Health District plans to hold informational meetings with local food service restaurants to assist them in complying with the amended rules. The idea, according to Mr Bashura, is to educate the food handlers ahead of time.

“We’re not here to bring them down. We’re here to help them meet the terms of the health code,” he explained.