Nearly everyone in the state regularly eats food prepared and served outside of the home. Whether it is at a quick-service restaurant, a school cafeteria, the corner coffee shop or a fine-dining establishment, diners should never have to worry about the safety of the food they are served.
With the adoption last month of a new statewide food code, diners in Tacoma can now expect the same level of food safety as diners in Tukwila, and people eating sushi in Battleground can be equally as confident about safe food handling as those eating it in Burien. The new statewide food code effectively removes the wiggle room for interpretation by health inspectors and brings consistency to every hospitality and food service establishment in the state.
Until this year, state government had adopted a basic set of rules for food safety and allowed county health departments to adopt additional rules for local food service establishments. Those rules, outlined in a 40-page document, left specific food handling practices largely up to interpretation. The result was a patchwork quilt of requirements that varied from place to place throughout the state.
In some areas, the only rules were the existing state code. In others, the rules were changed with the intent of improving on the state code. The result for the restaurant manager or server who moved from one jurisdiction to another was, too often, confusion.
A strong, uniform statewide food code that is enforced locally will improve the system for assuring safe food. It will result in better training for restaurant managers and food handlers who will know the rules of safe food handling wherever they work in Washington. It will allow both public health officials and restaurateurs to focus on the things that matter to food safety and end squabbles that arise from different standards in nearby jurisdictions.
The new statewide food code, modeled after the federal code, is several hundred pages in length and specifically addresses details about each safe food handling practice that was previously interpreted differently from county to county.
The new code also established a committee of health inspectors, restaurant professionals and consumer advocates to address any necessary changes or items that may need clarification. Together, restaurants and public health departments have committed to ensuring consistency throughout Washington for high standards of safe food handling.
As with most compromises, it’s usually a good arrangement if both parties leave a little disappointed. The Washington Restaurant Association has concerns about the costs this new food code will add to restaurants, many of which already feel significant operational pressures.
For example, the new code requires consumer notification on menus of all products that could be prepared raw or undercooked. If you want your steak rare or your eggs sunny side up, prepare to be notified of the potential risks. For the restaurateur, this means added costs for reprinting menus.
The new code also places unrealistic requirements on demonstration of knowledge. A health inspector may quiz any employee about any aspect of the new several-hundred-page food code. If the quizzed employee cannot correctly answer a question, he or she would receive a citation, where a warning would be more appropriate.
Despite these concerns and a few others, the restaurant industry is pleased with a uniform food code and the first month with the new code has passed smoothly. The Washington Restaurant Association has been working for several months to inform restaurateurs of the new food code – through our Web site, direct mail and special forums. Washington restaurants are the largest private-sector employer in the state, with more than 175,000 employees.
This change is significant, but welcome. It will bring consistent, safe food handling practices to all 39 counties and raise consumer confidence in Washington. For restaurants, food safety is our No. 1 priority and we look forward to a continued partnership with the Department of Health and our customers.
Gene Vosberg is the executive director of the Washington Restaurant Association.
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