In New York City, restaurants are required to post the letter grade of their most recent health inspection where it can easily be seen by passers by. In Kansas, restaurants don’t have to post their grades, but a new online tool makes them available to consumers.
The new system is a more user-friendly version of a previous website that went offline for about a year while it was upgraded. Now, before they dine out, Kansans can visit the state website and view inspection results searching by business name, county, city or inspection date.
“The inspections are a snapshot of the conditions our inspectors document at the time of their unannounced inspection,” said Kansas Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Lodging Program Manager Steve Moris.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Lodging program inspects grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, schools, senior meal sites, mobile food units, food wholesalers and warehouses, food processors, food manufacturers and lodging facilities. Restaurants and other food facilities are inspected at least once a year.
Before they can access the search results, visitors to the site are given some general information about the inspection process such as: inspections are unannounced and violations must be corrected at the time of inspection. They are also reminded that because inspection reports are really a snapshot of conditions inspectors found on a given day, looking at inspections over time gives a broader view.
For more information about the Kansas Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Lodging program, visit their website.
