Restaurant health inspection reports available online
Oakland County restaurant health inspection reports can now be easily accessed and viewed by members of the public. In February, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution requiring health division officials, within 90 days, to publish restaurant and food safety inspection reports online for public view. The project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The website, www.oakgov.com/OCinspections, will be updated weekly with the most recent health inspection reports. Previously, these reports were only made available to those who submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the health division. The website allows anyone to search for restaurants by city, license number, address, or business name.
Commissioner Kristen Nelson (D-Waterford), who introduced the resolution in January, said this policy change is about giving people the tools they need to make educated decisions to protect their health and safety.
“At a time when food handling and sanitary conditions can mean the difference between life and death, we owe it to the public to give them easily accessible, searchable data to make informed decisions for themselves and their families,” she said. “I was happy to lead this bipartisan effort, and I appreciate the hard work of the county’s health division and IT department to ensure this information is easily available.”
Earlier this year, Oakland County Health Officer Leigh-Anne Stafford told
The Oakland Press that the health division welcomed the opportunity to discuss the availability of restaurant inspection reports. .”
The health division’s food safety program provides several services to ensure the proper handling and distribution of food being served to the general public. These services include conducting routine inspections of restaurants as well as conducting investigations of foodborne illness complaints and outbreaks.
All inspection reports involving restaurants, coffee houses, etc., are made available through local health departments. Inspection reports involving grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations and processing facilities are made available by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“At a time when food handling and sanitary conditions can mean the difference between life and death, we owe it to the public to give them easily accessible, searchable data to make informed decisions for themselves and their families.” — Commissioner Kristen Nelson