CORNWALL, Ontario – The Eastern Ontario Health Unit is rolling out the next phase of its restaurant inspection disclosure system.
The system will require restaurant owners to hang a sign in their premises which alerts diners to whether or not they have met safe food-handling requirements, among other issues.
To increase the visibility of inspection reports, the EOHU has started distributing coloured signs to restaurants for public display.
The coloured signs indicate at a glance whether a restaurant or grocery store has received a “pass” (green sign), “conditional pass” (yellow sign) or “closed” (red sign) inspection report.
The new signage system is being rolled out starting with premises that prepare, process or handle food, and will progressively expand to all food premises, including grocery stores.
“Proper food handling and storage, good staff hygiene, and clean premises and equipment are key to protecting diners from foodborne illness,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, medical officer of health at the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. “The signs will also be good business for food premises receiving and posting the green PASS signs, since customers prefer to eat somewhere that provides a pleasant and safe eating experience.”
At every inspection of a food establishment, a public health inspector will issue a green, yellow or red sign. Once a sign is issued, the operator is asked to post it immediately at or near the main public entrance to the establishment so that it’s clearly visible to the public, until another inspection is conducted and a new sign provided.
THE SIGNS:
Pass (GREEN) Sign is issued when there is full or substantial compliance with the Ontario Food Premises Regulation, which means that:
Minimum standards of the Ontario Food Premises Regulation have been met.Fewer than three non-critical infractions were noted, or infractions noted were corrected during the inspection.Food operation is unlikely to cause an immediate risk to public health.
Conditional Pass (YELLOW) Sign is issued when there’s significant non-compliance with the Ontario Food Premises Regulation. Significant non-compliance means that a food establishment has:
Three or more non-critical infractionsOne or more critical infraction(s)
Food establishments that receive a Conditional Pass sign will be required to have a follow-up inspection, and may receive a ticket if the infractions aren’t corrected by the time of the first re-inspection.
Closed (RED) Sign is issued when the Public Health Inspector has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that an immediate health hazard exists. An order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act is issued to close the establishment, and the operator may be charged. The closed premises can only be re-opened when a follow-up inspection demonstrates that infractions have been corrected and the establishment is free of health hazards.
