Changes To Inspection Process

Philadelphia is changing its process when it comes to restaurant inspections. Although it stops short of the “scarlet letter” approaches of Los Angeles and Toronto, it does promise more inspections and a more scientific approach.

Joining a national movement for food safety, restaurant inspectors in Philadelphia have abandoned the “floors, walls, ceilings” focus that experts say catches chipped paint but often misses real public health threats such as undercooked food and chefs’ unwashed hands.

Instead, the city is phasing in a more scientific, “risk-based” approach that emphasizes food workers’ knowledge and behavior – do they know how contamination is spread and how to prevent it? – and calls for more frequent inspections of eateries that pose greater risks.

Turning up the heat on Phila. food-safety inspection [Philadelphia Inquirer]