LYNN — The Board of Health voted to amend the city’s food establishment inspection system, bringing it up to date with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Standard 3 guidelines.
Under the new guidelines, the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) would change its current letter-grading system to a risk-based categorization system that would assess a restaurant or food sale business’ inspection rate by its risk factors.
Currently, any business or organization that distributes food or beverages in the city must be inspected two to four times a year, depending on their inspection grade — A-grade businesses are inspected twice a year, grade B businesses are inspected three times a year, and grade C businesses are inspected four times a year.
While the letter grading will remain in place under the new guidelines, businesses will now be inspected based on their potential risk categorization. City Sanitarian Lisa Tobin said the new system will likely go into effect July 1.
Tobin said when the city adopts the FDA’s new guidelines, some businesses will save money on inspection fees, as they will move into a lower-risk category.
“Instead of just arbitrarily saying, ‘Oh, well, you know, you’re a type four, because you cook chicken,’ we’re now saying ‘based on what the FDA says, you’re a type three, and you only have to be inspected three times a year,” Tobin said.
When Standard 3 guidelines go into effect, businesses at low-risk for spreading food-borne illnesses such as convenience stores, hot dog carts, and coffee shops will be placed in Category 1 and will only have to be inspected once a year.
Establishments such as schools or retail food stores that cook and serve food immediately or have limited menus will be placed in Category 2, and will be inspected twice a year.
Category 3 establishments, inspected three times a year, will be full-service restaurants that handle raw ingredients and serve an extensive menu.
Category 4 is reserved for establishments that either conduct specialized processes such as smoking or curing, or those that serve highly vulnerable populations, such as preschools, hospitals, or nursing homes.
Restaurants or food establishments with a track record for health code compliance can be moved into a lower-risk category. Conversely, businesses with repeated recorded health code violations can be dropped into a higher-risk category.
Tobin said the new system would also ramp up health code enforcement. She said ISD is currently writing policies to help guide businesses to code compliance.
“There’s an active managerial control plan. If the problem is that chickens aren’t the right temperature, how can you correct that? Who is responsible for correcting it? How will you maintain it to be corrected? People are going to have to actively think about those questions to fill out those answers, and they’re going to have a plan moving forward,” Tobin said.
This week, ISD sent out emails to food establishments in the city, notifying them of the new guidelines. Freddy Cuevas, who owns Los Chamos, a Venezuelan restaurant on Union Street, said he didn’t mind the change as long as it improved health standards for his customers.
“I think it’s better for the customers — the safer, the better,” Cuevas said.
Tony Rosenfeld, who owns One Mighty Mill on Exchange Street, said that while the new risk categorization system seemed to be “based in common sense,” he prefers the letter grade system, as it’s easier for consumers to understand.
“It’s posted clearly in front, and I think it’s a very clear report card of how the restaurant is operating,” Rosenfeld said. “An A is something everyone understands – I like the clarity.”
In an effort to keep the guidelines transparent, Public Health Director Michele Desmarais said ISD will also begin translating written notices to serve business owners’ needs.
Desmarais added that the new guidelines would help Lynn’s health department qualify for FDA grants, and would play a positive role in the department’s long-term goal of earning state accreditation.
“Standard 3 is bringing it up to today’s standards,” Desmarais said. “This is where the food industry should be.”
