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Galveston County and Cities – Does your favorite restaurant have any recent health violations?  Finding out has become as easy as going online.  The Environmental Health Services Division of the Galveston County Health District (GCHD) is now posting results of food service establishment inspections on its website at www.gchd.org.  

GCHD’s website will allow users to simply enter the name of a food facility and its location to view the results of health inspections.  Posted information includes the dates of inspections conducted in the previous two years and any major violations noted.  

Major violations are those associated with specific risk factors that may contribute to incidents of food borne illness.  Some of these risk factors include improper food holding temperatures, infestation of rodents or insects, improper food storage and handling, or lack of hot and cold running water.   

“This tool allows consumers to quickly and conveniently check whether restaurants and other food facilities are meeting appropriate health and safety standards,” said Kurt Koopmann, GCHD’s Public Information Officer. “This also helps us as we continually strive to make information readily available to the public.”   

GCHD Sanitarians are responsible for inspecting more than 1,500 food facilities throughout Galveston County.  These include restaurants, grocery stores, delicatessens, convenience stores, snack bars, schools, health care facilities, and certified farmers markets to name a few.  

Sanitarians do thorough checks of all Galveston County food facilities several times a year.  If the department receives a complaint about a restaurant, an inspector will be sent to check the facility.   

Officials with the Health District note that it is important for those looking at online reports to understand that any inspection report is just a snapshot in time.  It shows only the conditions of the facility at the time of the inspection.  A single inspection report should not be used to judge a business.  Looking at a facility’s inspection results over a period of time gives a more accurate picture of that facility’s commitment to proper and safe food handling.    

Food service establishments that consistently do well on inspections are recognized annually in April during National Public Health Week with the presentation of “Gold Ribbon” awards. These awards allow the Health District the opportunity to recognize excellent establishments in a very positive manner.  

According to Koopmann, “Our Environmental Health Services staff has been working hard on this project for over a year.  We are glad that we can finally offer this much requested service.”   

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(News Media: For more information contact Kurt Koopmann, GCHD Public Information Officer, 409-938-2211 or kkoopman@gchd.org)