City of Austin Performance Report 2015-16
Number of Routine Inspections Per Fixed Food Establishment (City)
Measure Description
This
measure assesses the rate of inspections per fixed food establishments in the city
of Austin. The goal is to provide two routine inspections each year for every
fixed food establishment (restaurants, retail food stores and wholesale food
products). The goal is based on the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) Voluntary Standards and the State of Texas Food
Establishment Rules adopted by the City of Austin.
Calculation Method
This
measure is calculated by dividing the number of routine inspections for fixed
establishments by the number of fixed food establishments in the database.
FY 2015-16 Results
The
FY 2015-16 goal for this measure was 2.0 inspections per fixed food establishment.
The actual result was 1.82, a decrease from 2.1 in FY 2014-15.
Assessment of Results
Over the last five fiscal years, the number
of fixed food establishments have grown from 4,524 to 5,176, a net increase of 652
establishments requiring 1,304 inspections. These numbers do not include food
establishments located in unincorporated areas of Travis County. The
Environmental Health Services Division (EHSD) was approved for an additional six
Environmental Health Officer (Sanitarian) positions for fixed food
establishments in October 2014. In FY
2014-15, this allocation of new inspector positions enabled EHSD to reach our
goal.
The primary reason for the decrease in
routine inspections conducted in FY 2015-16, is the significant ongoing
turnover of the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) positions. In FY 2015-16, the
Consumer Health Program responsible for the fixed food establishment
inspections, lost six EHO field inspection staff (30%). This turnover resulted
in vacant inspection districts and lost inspection time due to increased
training of new inspectors.
Next Steps
A
recent market study resulted in increased salaries for Sanitarians, which
should help reduce turnover and increase the frequency of inspections. The goal
of 2.0 inspections per fixed food establishment remains in place for FY 2016-17;
however, the Department plans on transitioning to a risk-based model that will
result in restaurants being inspected either more or less frequently per year
based on the level of risk inherent in their operations.
Contact Information
For
more information contact David Lopez, Assistant Director, Environmental Health
Services, at (512) 978-0303.