Thousands of people in Tompkins County eat out every day.
Whether it’s a quick stop for a breakfast sandwich on the morning commute, soup and salad for lunch, or dinner at a fancy restaurant, they assume that the food they buy is safe and won’t make them sick.
It is not just blind faith.
Consumers can feel safe knowing that a team of health department inspectors visits each establishment to ensure that food is prepared in a clean environment and that health and safety regulations are followed.
Inspection reports are public documents, and the online database at data.ithacajournal.com/restaurant-inspections/ contains the results of inspections in Tompkins County and throughout New York State. Readers can see when an establishment was last inspected and get a summary of violations found by inspectors.
Each report is merely a snapshot and reflects the observations of a single day that the inspectors were at the restaurant.
Once problems have been identified, they have likely been resolved, and a clean report does not mean that problems cannot arise later.
This article originally appeared in the Observer-Dispatch: Eating out in Tompkins County: Take a look at restaurant inspections
