Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2017 09:57:17 -0400
From: Gretchen Niver
Subject: Food safety scores
I worked as a food prep person in the Marketplace kitchen for 5 years, and can personally attest to the fact that the health dept. scores often have nothing to do with actual food safety. I’ve read the safety manual, and am aware of all the requirements. In my experience there, it was only occasionally that the things we got bad marks for affected the every-day quality of the food. Perhaps, that’s why anything from 90, above, is still considered an ‘A’.
One time we got a point against us because a covered cup of coffee at a prep station — below the prep area, as required — did not have a drinking straw in it! Huh. I can understand how all the miscellaneous, non food, rules can help add up to a cleaner and safer food environment, but the inspections can be extremely subjective. Things are often criticized one time, and not another, making one wonder if the inspector feels they’re not doing their job if they don’t find something wrong.
Gretchen