The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ultimate goal to be achieved by a food establishment inspection is to prevent foodborne diseases. Hence, inspections from state to state are underway to all food service operations. Inspection is the primary tool a regulatory agency has for detecting procedures and practices which may be hazardous and taking actions to correct deficiencies. Food Code-based laws and ordinances provide inspectors scientifically based rules for food safety.
During the regulatory visits, the inspections assist the food service industry or establishment in:
(1) Serving as educational sessions on specific Code requirements as they apply to an establishment and its operation;
(2) Conveying new food safety information to establishment management and providing an opportunity for management to ask questions about general food safety matters; and
(3) Providing a written report to the establishment's permit holder or person in charge so that the responsible person can bring the establishment into conformance with the Code.
However, most food service operations and establishments approach inspections with anxiety or panic especially when it's done on peak hours as observed by Webstaurantstore, a leading restaurant supply store providing restaurant supplies and equipment to the foodservice industry and individual customers worldwide.
In addition, most foodservice operations are inspected anywhere from 1 to 4 times a year, so the best way for a food service establishment is to prepare is as if it was a routine. In addition to implementing and maintaining an effective HACCP plan and acquiring ServSafe certification, there are a few things that a food service establishment can do to effectively perform its own inspections and ensure that the establishment is up to snuff when the time comes for an official inspection.
Interestingly, inspection reports can be accessed online per state whether or not a certain food service operations has passed or not. In Portland, the largest city in the state of Maine for example, almost all restaurants passed except for very few rated as "Failed" or "Complaint."
