HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03122013 - SD.4RECOMMENDATION(S):
CONSIDER authorizing theHealth Services Department to make the food facility inspection search mobile
application (FoodInspector), application developed by the Environmental Health Division, available on the Apple
iTunes store, as recommended by the Health Services Director. (Marilyn Underwood, Environmental Health
Director)
FISCAL IMPACT:
$126.00 annually to be paid from the fees charged to businesses for inspections. The application was developed by
in-house staff and there is no cost associated with launching the application.
BACKGROUND:
For several years now the Health Services Department, Environmental Health Division has made food inspection
history for more than 4,000 food facilities available on the Department’s website site. An individual can see the last
five years of inspection history for a particular food facility. The data includes all the major and minor violations,
and, via a link, the violation is further defined. The data has approximately a one week delay, as inspectors take a
couple of days to enter the information after the inspection, have it checked, and make any necessary corrections.
Currently, we have a goal of inspecting all food facilities twice a year. In the future, the Department plans to be
inspecting a food facility based on its risk to cause illness, thus a gas station that sells only prepackage food would
only be inspected once a year, whereas a sushi restaurant would be inspected three times a year.
Having the food inspection history on the Department website site makes it available to the public, but not as readily
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 03/12/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II
Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III
Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV
Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V
Supervisor
Contact: Dorothy Sansoe,
925-335-1009
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the
Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: March 12, 2013
David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: June McHuen, Deputy
cc:
SD. 4
To:Board of Supervisors
From:William Walker, M.D., Health Services
Date:March 12, 2013
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Launch of the FoodInspector Mobile Application
accessible as through hand held devices. Therefore, the Department has created an application that can be made
available in both Android and iPhone platforms. This application would be available for free via the Android
application markets and iTunes.
Once downloaded, it is simple to use. A “search” function is available to find a specific restaurant or the application
can use GPS positioning to find the nearest restaurants to where you (really your phone) are located. From there you
can then see which of the facilities had the best inspection history.
Another available option is “Closures," which will display the food facilities Environmental Health has recently
closed and why.
The Department is hoping to soon upload closure information within 24 hours.
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)
Future:
Plans for a future upgrade to the application are already in development. Included in these plans is an upgrade that
will allow the user to be able to enter a destination and find the restaurants close to that destination name and find
their food inspection history.
In addition, inspectors have just begun using an inspection form that calculates a score for the inspection. This
score will be posted on both the Departmentss website and app. Rather than having to understand the violations
found at a restaurant, the score will allow a quick comparison of the food inspection history of a facility or
facilities.
Also contemplated is a new placarding system in the County. The application will display the color grading
system (green, yellow, and red – similar to Sacramento and Alameda Counties).
Several jurisdictions in the Bay Area region and the State have expressed an interest in this application. Once it is
launched the Department anticipates more jurisdictions will be interested in partnering with Contra Costa County.
Having one application for all the restaurants in the Bay Area or the State is obviously ideal from a user point of
view versus having to download a different application for each jurisdiction.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The public will not have easy access to the information.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
Not Applicable
ATTACHMENTS
FoodInspector slides
Easier Access to Food Facility Inspection Results
Marilyn C. Underwood, Mike Dickson, Dave Woodhouse,
Marc Miyashiro, Ben Shaver, Will Harper