Health departments across Illinois are adopting a new method for evaluating food establishments.
Chris Adams, Environmental Health Director for the McDonough County Health Department, said a 100-point rating system is currently used when doing inspections, but a simple pass/fail (or “in compliance/out of compliance”) method could prove beneficial to their daily operations.
While Peoria made this switch independently last month, McDonough County is holding out until the Illinois Dept. of Public Health adopts the FDA Food Code statewide.
“Those changes, when they do happen, are going to allow more enforcement for local health departments. So you have much more weight behind that enforcement, and quicker response,” Adams said.
Adams said the change would allow inspectors to focus more on the behaviors of the employees at the establishment rather than on technicalities that he referred to as, “floors, walls, ceilings”.
He added that this change is long overdue because it would give more weight to the critical violations that make people sick.
Adams said he hopes the statewide change will be made by 2020.
