Inspections scarce; complaints double

An understaffed El Paso County health department completed fewer than half its required food-safety inspections last year, while complaints more than doubled.

El Paso County Department of Public Health and Environment officials say the rise in complaints cannot be directly linked to the lack of inspections, but Deputy Director Kandi Buckland said it “makes us concerned.”

In 2007, 2,373 of the 4,886 inspections mandated by the state were done. That same year, the number of complaints about possible food-borne illnesses and complaints against restaurants rose from 178 to 369.

Colorado health authorities have not penalized El Paso County for failing to meet the state requirement, said Environmental Health Director Rick Miklich, who oversees the food-inspection program.

That’s because the state knows inspectors are outgunned, he said.

Eight people are responsible for inspecting nearly 2,500 permit holders twice a year. Permit holders range from large businesses such as chain restaurants and grocery stores to corner coffee shops and carnival vendors.

The number of inspectors has stayed about the same the past five years while the foodservice industry has grown by about 10 percent a year, Miklich said.

Routine inspections are conducted in addition to investigating specific complaints, following up on critical violations, and educating the foodservice industry about safe practices. The same staff also must review plans for new restaurants and inspect them before they open.

The food-service industry in the Pikes Peak region is generally responsive to safety concerns, health officials say. After all, people who get sick aren’t likely to be return customers.

Still, the department’s chief mission — education — is lacking as inspectors struggle to keep up with basic enforcement responsibilities.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends at least double the number of inspectors for a county of this size.

The local restaurant industry estimates about 40 percent of meals in the Pikes Peak region are eaten outside the home, Miklich said.

People made 150 complaints about possible foodborne illnesses to the health department in 2007. There were 219 other complaints against restaurants. Those include reports, for example, of employees who didn’t wash their hands after using a bathroom.

The number of people getting sick from the food they are served or buy in a store is far higher than what’s reported, said Dr. Bernadette Albanese, the health department’s medical director. Not everyone calls the health department when they get sick. Sometimes illnesses are treated but not tested.

Even in confirmed cases, finding the source of food poisoning isn’t easy.

Although people usually assume the last meal they’ve eaten has made them sick, that may not be the case. And the same bugs associated with food, such as salmonella, may have been contracted from something else.

Nationally, it is estimated that about 76 million people get food poisoning each year, Albanese said.

More inspections, Buckland said, could catch health hazards that would otherwise have gone undetected.

In response to the staffing shortage, the health department is shifting to a riskbased inspection model instead of the twice-a-year system.

Under this model, inspectors go to food providers with the largest number of risk factors — say, an upscale restaurant with an elaborate menu — more often.

Places such as a coffee shop, where a pastry is placed under glass, might get less scrutiny.

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