There are five fundamental factors that health inspectors like to see during an inspection because they are indicative of functionality, safety, and thoughtfulness. For health inspectors, these focus areas reveal what’s happening when no one is watching.
1. Transparency
Inspectors have a sixth sense for artifice, so for them, transparency is everything to the point that they value honesty over perfection.
If a refrigeration unit failed two hours before they arrived, and you are already executing your backup plan, tell them because transparency builds trust. If an inspector finds a hidden violation, naturally they’ll begin to wonder what else is being obscured. So, when you are open about the good, the bad, and the ugly, you establish yourself as a responsible operator who is in control of the environment.
To achieve this, be upfront about any issues in your kitchen. If they ask a question, answer it directly. If you don’t know an answer, tell them you will find out immediately rather than guessing what may be an incorrect answer.
2. Professionalism
Keep emotions out of the inspection and lean on science and data to communicate. Defensive behavior or argumentative tones leave a bad impression and cloud the objective of the visit, which is to protect public health.
For instance, if an inspector measures a soup at 130°F, defensively complaining about how busy the lunch rush was won’t help your score. Instead, use your own calibrated thermometer to verify the reading. Then, discuss the specific corrective action, whatever that may be.
Professionalism means treating the inspector as a respected industry peer. When you speak the inspector’s language, you demonstrate that your facility is managed by experts.
Here are several phrases that build regulatory credibility and strengthen inspection outcomes, as advised by Don Kautter Jr., who has over 30 years of leadership experience at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Statements that strengthen inspection outcomes:
- Here is our written procedure, and here are the last three completed records.
- We identified that gap during internal audit and corrected it.
- Our hazard analysis supports this control. I can walk you through it.
- If a deviation occurs, we initiate documented corrective action.
- We appreciate the feedback and will evaluate it promptly.
Similarly, if the statements below sound familiar, it’s time to rethink your strategy because they are red flags for health inspectors:
- We’ve never had a problem before.
- That’s how we were trained years ago.
- It should be fine.
- We don’t really document that.
- We are short-staffed today.
- Corporate handles that.
- The consultant set it up.
- We only do that when FDA/state is here.
Remember, disagreements will happen and that’s okay. When they do, simply handle them professionally.
3. Preparedness
The more prepared and practiced you are, the less stress you’ll experience because a disorganized inspection is a long inspection. For instance, inspectors will judge how quickly you can produce the information they requested. Being prepared demonstrates that your safety program is a daily reality, rather than something you scramble to assemble when someone with a badge appears.
To help with your preparedness, have a company inspection manual which defines policies and procedures like:
- What are your policies on the inspector taking photographs?
- What do you do when asked to provide records? Do you bring in your legal team or have them on standby?
- How do you deal with inspector complaints?
- How do you record and store shipping records?
- What are the procedures, boundaries, and policies that the inspector should know about?
Those are but a few examples of issues that should be well thought out and documented before your first inspection.
4. Documentation Accuracy
Speaking of preparedness, document everything. If a task isn’t logged, an inspector assumes it never happened. The standard rule of regulatory compliance is that if a task isn’t logged, an inspector assumes it never happened.
Inspectors look for consistency and accuracy in your logs. They are trained to spot dry labbing. In the restaurant industry, dry labbing is when an employee fills out a week’s worth of, for example, temperature logs in five minutes using the same pen and the same perfect handwriting. Dry labbing gets their attention and fast, but not in a positive way.
Regularly and accurately documenting procedures provides a historical record of your kitchen’s health and safety efforts. Having them on hand allows you to, for example, prove that your walk-in cooler was at 38°F every hour for the last month, during a surprise visit.
To achieve high standards here, avoid memory-based logging. Use timestamped digital systems or require staff to initial logs at the moment of the check. Managers should check these logs daily for gaps or anomalies because accurate data is your best defense during an inspection. It provides the objective truth of your performance over time.
When documents/records are requested, follow these best practice recommendations:
- Provide copies, not originals unless requested.
- Review documents before giving them to the inspector. Depending on your situation, you may want your legal team to review them as well.
- Log all of the documents you have given the inspector.
- Ensure your kitchen’s records are complete and signed if necessary.
- Only provide what they’ve requested. No additional information is necessary.
Being ready makes the process faster and shows the inspector that you prioritize safety and sanitation.
5. Strong Food Safety Culture
An inspector can tell within 10 minutes if your staff understands food safety or if they are just following a checklist to avoid trouble. They watch the “why” behind the actions.
For instance, they’ll notice whether the dishwasher washes their hands after touching dirty plates and before grabbing clean ones. They’ll notice whether prep cooks are using separate cutting boards for raw poultry and garnishes, without being prompted.
When an inspector sees that your kitchen staff takes pride in a clean, organized station, they’ll think that you operate a low-risk facility. Health inspectors want to know if your team follows safety procedures because it’s the standard or if they are putting on an act for the day.
Inspection Day Only Confirms What’s Already True
We hope that you either found these tips useful or helpful for fine-tuning your current procedures, or that they validate how your kitchen already handles safety and sanitation. Be consistent in these five areas and your kitchen will remain compliant and prepared for every surprise walk-through.
