AN INNOVATIVE FOOD ESTABLISHMENT RATING SYSTEM Presented to
AN INNOVATIVE FOOD ESTABLISHMENT ‘RATING’ SYSTEM Presented to the Nebraska Environmental Health Association Region 4 Conference September 2019 Justin L. Daniel, REHS, CP-FS Environmental Health Supervisor Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Lincoln, NE
Food Safety Program Information • 7 staff doing food inspections (Also doing child care and body art inspections) • Food Environmental Health Specialists (EHSs) are “Standardized” (compete joint inspections with standardizing officer every two years. ) • 1, 400 establishments County wide • 1 Food Handler Training Coordinator • . 75 Food Safety Consultant • FY 2018, 491 Inspections & Consultations Per FTE
Inspection Rating Detail 2019 2016 2015 2014 2012 Pre - 2012
FACTS: What we knew for sure In Nebraska, food inspection records are public records. The public expects easy access to public records. Putting public records on the Internet increases public accessibility and public use. Many State and local Food Safety Programs have put inspection records on the Internet to increase public access to public records Some post the entire inspection, some just violation descriptions, and others just a score or rating.
Retail Food Establishment Ratings List • Superior - The establishment understands and routinely corrects sanitation deficiencies on a day-to-day basis and does not wait for a health inspection before doing so. in addition, at least 75 percent of employees and management of a superior food establishment must have successfully completed a food safety training course conducted by this department, or its equivalent. • Excellent - The establishment routinely corrects most sanitation deficiencies and immediately corrects the minor violations found at the time of inspection. • Standard - The establishment generally corrects most sanitation deficiencies on a routine basis and corrects violations found at the time of inspection in the time allowed by the inspecting health officer. • Fair - The establishment barely meets minimum standards required by state and local food safety codes. Serious and minor sanitation deficiencies are found on each inspection. Sanitation deficiencies are not corrected on a routine basis and repeat inspections are often a necessary part of regulating these establishments to help assure minimum food safety conditions.
Douglas County Retail Food Establishment Rating List
FACTS: What we all know Most ratings are based on a scoring system. Most weight critical item violations (P & PF) priority more than non-critical (Core) violations. Common approaches include: - Scoring – 0 to 100 - Color coding - Grading - A, B, C - Percentiles (Quartiles) Good Okay Bad
09 24 2019
Seattle - King County Health Department
Why have rating systems been created? • To provide the public with a measure of the sanitation level in an establishment • To allow the public to compare food sanitation among establishments • To allow the public to know which facilities make sanitation a high priority • To cause the food industry to change practices through the creation of an incentive/disincentive system
What does a rating communicate? A is better than B is better than C 90 is better than 80 is better than 70 Green is good, yellow is marginal, and red is bad A is safe, 90 is safe, Green is safe Not so sure about the other scores, letters or numbers (a B isn’t really that bad, is it? )
Disguising Letter Grades
Impacts of Ratings Strong evidence - ratings can result in fewer CIVs (LA, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, etc. - There is great confidence that this system is working well. In New York City the Commissioner of Health announced proudly “grading has contributed to significant improvements in restaurants’ food safety practices. ” Some evidence - Ratings may reduce foodborne illnesses (LA - decreased ER visits late 1990’s) - ratings result in economic benefit to those facilities that score higher (Stanford Univ. )
Cityhealth. org • Food Safety Policies requiring food establishments to publicly post safety inspection “grades” contribute to empowering consumers, reducing foodborne illness rates, and cutting down on health care costs. Every person, in every city, deserves to live the healthiest possible life
Why another rating system? Most Rating Systems LLCHD Rating System • Most not statistical comparison • May include follow-up inspections • A snapshot in time • Simple concepts • Most scales do not change • One “scale” for all • Color coded • No cool dial • Statistical comparison • Regular inspections only • Simple concept of based on average scores • Rating scale changes over time • Scales are specific to types of food establishments • Color coded • Cool Dial!
LLCHD Rating System: Statistical Distribution What it Is: What it is Not: • Based on regular inspections • Based on a scoring system: CIVs = 2; Non. CIVs =1 • Comparison of inspection results with similar facility types • Not a rating of quality of food • Not based on type of food served – Mexican, Italian, etc. • Not based on the size of the business • Not a grade or score
The Classic “Bell” or “Normal” Curve
Food Inspection Results are not “Normal” 16% Three year average rating 68% 16 %
The Normal Curve and Z-Scores ~16% ~ 68% ~16%
From Z Scores to a Rating •
Full Service Ratings Range 0 5. 7 16% Three year average rating 8. 6 10 LLCHD Rating 68% 16 %
LLCHD Online Food Establishment Inspection Viewer and Rating System The centerpiece of our unique rating system is a simple dial with 3 categories and two dial arms. Below Average rating represents Below Average the bottom 16% of inspections. Average is the middle 68% Average Above Average rating represents Above Average the top 16% of inspections.
LLCHD Online Food Establishment Inspection Viewer and Rating System Two dial “arms” Black arm is the average rating of REGULAR inspections for the last 3 years for this food establishment Red arm is the most recent REGULAR inspection rating
LLCHD Online Food Establishment Inspection Viewer and Rating System All data is updated daily and average ratings are recalculated. The average rating will change over time The public can see the past history and their most recent inspection rating Food establishments can strive for an above average rating on their next inspection
Inspection Rating Detail
Next Steps • Re-evaluate LLCHD’s scoring system to incorporate the scoring of Priority, Priority Foundation and Core Item Violations • Begin the discussion with our Food Advisory Committee for their feedback on the possibility of posting the ratings dial in the public’s view
THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? jdaniel@lincoln. ne. gov 402 -441 -8033
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