KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - "Food safety inspections this weekend at Safeco Field went very well," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County at a news conference this morning. "Only one red critical violation was found, and it was corrected immediately."
Public Health staff conducted 20 re-inspections and 2 routine inspections on food service establishments at Safeco Field. All red critical violations identified on previous inspections had been corrected.
Public Health also has been following up on 13 earlier reports of possible illness from food consumed at Safeco Field. None of these has been confirmed. In the course of this follow up, Public Health found 1 red critical violation due to an improper holding temperature for salmon. This problem was corrected immediately by reheating.
Last week, Public Health - Seattle & King County identified 50 red critical food safety violations at a variety of food service establishments at Safeco Field.
"This dramatic improvement reflects an excellent working partnership between Public Health and staff at Safeco Field," added Plough. "Nonetheless, we will maintain a presence at the stadium during the remainder of this homestand, conducting random inspections and providing continuing education for food handlers.
Volume Services America and the Mariners have implemented several strategies for addressing food safety problems identified last week at Safeco Field. These strategies include hiring on-site sanitarians to perform staff training and assure food safety, instituting a start-up checklist system, and providing training for food handlers before opening for each game.
Public Health's Food Protection Program oversees approximately 9,400 food service establishments, 1,100 meat/poultry/fish establishments, and 2,000 temporary food booths per year. Approximately 33,000 food service inspections are projected for 1999 in addition to another 12,000 education and consultation visits. Public Health typically closes about 100 food service operations each year until their food safety problems are corrected.
