Board of Health talks of grading
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 14, 2016 1:46 PM
Getting A's and B's on a report card is usually considered a good thing.
But when it applies to restaurants, anything less than a "A" is a problem, the Board of Health said Wednesday.
Kevin Whitley, environmental health director for the Health Department, told the board that for the first quarter inspections, the county "only had three restaurants that received a B."
The findings prompted a discussion on food handling practices.
The first one to receive a "B" was Maya Bistro in Mount Olive, which Whitley said had mostly issues like not having soap at the handwashing sinks.
"They requested a regrade," he said, a follow-up inspection which raised their grade from 88.5 to 95.5. "A lot of it was procedural issues for them that they just needed to correct."
Fast Trip Mart in Goldsboro was also affected by some construction and procedural issues, such as uncovered lighting and not having a certified food manager on site. The latter, requiring someone to have attained food safety training, knocks off two points right off the bat, Whitley said.
That business also asked for a regrade, bringing their 84.5 score up to a 90.
The same did not hold true for Golden Thai on Center Street, which Whitley said earned an 86.5.
"They did not request a regrade," he said. "They usually don't."
He told the board some of that restaurant's issues included not having soap or paper at the handwashing station, and observing raw chicken in an area where there were vegetables, considered a "no-no."
The concern, he said, is about cross-contaminating raw food with ready-to-eat food.
In some cases, Whitley said, issues can be corrected while the inspector is there. But not always.
"You hang a 'B' on the wall -- people still go in there," he said.
Board Chairman Bob Cagle asked how restaurant inspection grades are shared, so the public is aware of them.
Whitley said the grades are posted on the Health Department's website as well as in the newspaper.
"Peer pressure's probably the best thing on the face of the earth for fixing these things," Cagle said.
"That's the reason we hang it on the wall," Whitley replied. "Obviously, if you don't feel comfortable eating in an establishment that has a B, you leave.
"They're either going to go out of business or correct that issue."
Cagle asked when the situation reaches the level that a business might be shut down.
"If you make below a 70, we have to close you immediately," Whitley said.
Citing a recent example, he said one business had plumbing and sewage issues, with inspectors closing the business until the problem was fixed.
"We do have the authority to make them throw their food away if it's out of temperature and they don't have any way to (remedy it)," Whitley said. "We have what they call embargo authority, to close them immediately. Problems with the cooler, things like that, we can close them immediately."
Whitley said his staff -- which includes three full-time inspectors, a supervisor and Whitley himself on occasion -- try to be fair and work with the businesses on succeeding.
Health Director Davin Madden praised the efforts of the inspectors in keeping food establishments as safe as possible for the consumers.
"They do a fantastic job," he said. "They have been under-staffed for a little while here just recently.
"They have to go through pretty lengthy training before they're allowed to do this job."
While it can be a challenge, if anyone gets below a grade of 70, it's a no-brainer, Madden said.
"Sewage coming up through the drains, that's pretty obvious," he said. "But for example, chicken dripping on vegetables, (inspectors) try not to come across unfairly punitive. They (the business) can say they'll wash the vegetables but for now, they're still contaminating.
"(Inspectors) do know who some of their repeat offenders are. They're more diligent. They make unannounced visits and they'll follow up on (customer) complaints. They really do have a lot of balancing in what they do to be fair. We want those restaurant owners to trust them."
Madden said he had been an advocate for businesses posting not only the letter grade card but the findings, so the public could read exactly where points had been counted off.
There is a big difference between lacking ceiling tiles and issues that could become public health problems, which a business may not divulge to its patrons, Madden said. So far, though, "food laws" are written to protect the businesses, which are not required to post anything but the letter grade.
"When was the last time we had any kind of disease or outbreak or anything tied to a restaurant?" Cagle asked.
"None documented. They either go undiagnosed or unreported," the health director said, adding, "Overall, (Wayne County) is a safe place to eat when you get down to that."