State law put teeth into food inspections

The Columbus Dispatch has an article exploring how an overhaul of the state's food laws seven years ago changed both food inspections and the restaurant business in Columbus. (Source: "Emphasis on food safety expanding," Jan. 13, 2008.) Prior to the overhaul, the city's food inspectors rarely placed restaurants on probation or revoked licenses for food safety violations, instead perferring to continue inspections until problems reached a "crisis level." But after Ohio adopted the national model food code in 2001, "restaurant owners became explicitly responsible for what happened at their restaurants; 'persons-in-charge,' such as kitchen managers, became responsible for what happened on their watch; and bare-handed contact with any ready-to-eat foods was prohibited." After the law went into effect, the Board of Health focused initially on education and training so restaurants and staff could learn the proper ways to handle food. Now, though, the grace period has ended and enforcement actions are way up.