Public health officials in Forsyth County say there's a backlog of overdue restaurant inspections. The county is working on several steps to meet state compliance requirements.
More than half of the restaurants in Forsyth County are overdue on their inspections and some local restaurants have not been inspected in a year and a half.
Marlon Hunter, director of the Forsyth County Health Department, says some restaurants are required to be inspected four times per year, depending on how big the menu is or the population it serves.
“The backlog is around 700. Staff members have been out to visit every restaurant in this county, but we haven't been out by the frequency recommended by the state and to some of those facilities that require it,” says Hunter.
Hunter says there's also a new FDA Food Code that was implemented in 2012, which was a huge revision for the state, taking more training for inspectors and time. At the same time, there's been a lot of staff turnover and retirements.
“It's a perfect storm," says Hunter.
“Manpower and need staff are issues. I'm five positions down. That's the biggest hurdle we have; getting enough people to do the work,” says Edwin Stott, who manages environmental health inspections for the county.
There are more restaurants in the county than in previous years. But Hunter says it's safe to dine out.
“When you hear that message it should and would give anyone pause, it certainly does give me pause as the local health director to say what's going on? But what I want to make sure we do is say that we assure the public that it is safe for us to go out to eat,” says Hunter.
Overall, there are around 2,300 facilities that need inspects in Forsyth County each year. That includes high priority places like schools and nursing homes.
Larry Michael, state environmental health director with the North Carolina Division of Public Health, says it's not just Forsyth County that's experiencing compliance issues. The state is implementing a fast-track training program to give counties more resources.
“We've created centralized intern training, where the state has blocked out time through 2017, so counties can schedule or recruit for staff at the appropriate times,” says Michael. “That way they're not hiring someone and having to wait three months before the training starts.”
Forsyth County Department of Public health will continue working on recruitment and retention strategies. It may request more positions in next year's budget.
To view inspection reports for restaurants in Forsyth County click here.
*Follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news.