Retail food stores' internet-based own-check databank records and health officers' on-site inspection results for cleanliness and food holding temperatures reveal inconsistencies

Abstract

Official food control inspects retail food stores (food stores) regularly for compliance with food safety regulations. The health officer (inspector) inspects the food store's own-check (self-verification) and facilities and operations. The own-check inspection is usually performed on-site and includes the examination of own-check documentation. The chain-store groups (grocery multiple retailers) studied have developed an internet based own-check databank for documentation of own-check data for their own use, and also to enable official food control to make inspections via the internet. The chain-stores aim to speed up and possibly decrease the number of on-site inspections made by the official control in food stores. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy and reliability of the own-check databank from the view of official food control.Fourteen food stores that represented three different national chain-store groups in a local municipality in Finland were included in the study. The own-check documentation from a 3-month period with regard to the receiving of products, cleanliness and temperatures of the refrigeration equipment was inspected by the official control via the internet based own-check databank. This was followed by an on-site inspection for comparison. The frequency of non-compliance for cleanliness recorded by the inspector on-site was significantly higher than the frequency of non-compliance recorded in the databank (Fisher's exact test, p < 0.05). On-site inspection observed non-compliance in temperatures (aberration >3 °C for at least 30 min) of refrigeration equipment for minced meat and processed fish products, determined by temperature data logger (24 h measurement), in 57.1% (8/14) of the stores. In contrast, no non-compliance regarding those same refrigeration equipment was recorded in the databank during a 3-month period. Discrepancies between the inspection results of cold holding and cleanliness in the databank and the on-site inspections were observed in food stores representing all three chain-store groups.The observed differences between the databank data and the on-site inspections, suggest that the frequency of on-site inspections should not be decreased or substituted by off-site databank inspections. Issues of on-site inspection and off-site databank inspection are discussed. Further, the study revealed serious problems in maintaining and monitoring of the temperature in refrigeration equipment in food stores.