SF Biz Times begins publishing restaurant inspections

The San Francisco Business Times has started publishing lists of restaurants and other food establishments in its coverage area that have been cited for high-risk violations of the local health code.

Marlize van Romburgh of the Business Times writes, “We’ll start with inspection results from San Francisco, followed by results from San Mateo and Alameda counties.

“The information was provided to us by the counties in response to public records requests. It’s the result of food safety inspections conducted by individual counties. Such inspections are typically unannounced and food establishments expect them about once a year.

“In addition to restaurants, other commercial dining places such as school cafeterias, food trucks and grocery stores — and even churches and nursing homes — that serve food are inspected by county health officials. Those officials have the power to shut down a facility if they conclude the establishment presents an imminent risk to the dining public.

“We will only publish the names of restaurants that have been cited for high-risk, or critical, violations. Those are violations that are most likely to cause an outbreak of food-borne illness.”

Read more here.