BACKGROUND: This overview from Public Health Seattle King County (PHSKC) reports there are an estimated 76 million people per year in the U.S. who suffer from food-borne illnesses, and 5,000 who die annually in the U.S. from these ailments, which include botulism, campylobacteriosis, norovirus, salmonellosis, and shigellosis.

PHSKC performs regular health inspections of food service establishments to protect consumers from – and educate operators about – the risk of food-borne disease. Inspection records can be viewed at this PHSKC database, which is searchable by variables including name or zip code.

The more serious violations are classified as “red critical,” which convey the highest risk of causing food-borne disease. Blue violations are also reported, related to maintenance and cleanliness. Points are assigned after each inspection. Zero is a perfect score. If 35 or more red points are given for a single visit, a re-inspection is required in 14 days. If 90 or more red points are given in a visit, or 120 or more red and blue points combined, the establishment is closed.

Salmonella Bacteria

There are relatively few closures. But while some restaurants have few or no violations, others have multiple violations, accrued over multiple inspections. If earlier visits yielded violations but recent visits showed no violations, that is one indication of improvement. If violations continue to occur during the most recent inspections, that may be cause for concern, for some consumers.

In the 98136 zip code in West Seattle, most food service establishments were inspected four times since 2008 unless otherwise noted. Here is the PHSKC index page with links to reports for ALL inspected food service establishments in the 98136 zip code. Below are links to selected reports in 98136 for establishments with the most violations (addresses included).

Abbondanza. 4 “red critical” violations and 3 blue violations – including “insects, rodents, animals present, entrance uncontrolled;” “food not protected from potential contamination during preparation, storage, display;” “improper reheating procedures for hot holding;” and “improper cold holding temperatures.”

Endolyne Joe’s. 3 “red critical” and 3 blue violations, including: “raw meats, poultry, aquatic foods not stored away from ready-to-eat foods;” and “improper cold holding temperatures.”

Feedback Lounge. 1 “red critical” and 1 blue violation in 2 inspections – including: “improper cold holding temperatures;” and “food not protected from potential contamination during preparation, storage, display.”

Ho-Win. 4 “red critical” and 5 blue violations – including: “improper cold holding temperatures;” “room temperature storage;” “food contact surface used for raw meats, poultry, aquatic foods or ready-to-eat foods not thoroughly cleaned and sanitized;” “physical facilities not properly installed, maintained, clean;” and “unnecessary persons not excluded from establishment.”

Jade West. 4 “red critical” violations in three inspections – including – “room temperature storage;” “raw meats, poultry and aquatic foods not stored away from ready-to-eat foods;” “improper cold holding temperatures;” and “improper methods used to prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.”

Lincoln Food Mart. 3 “red critical” violations in three inspections – including: “toxic substances improperly identified, stored and used;” “inadequate hand washing facilities;” and “thermometers not available or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods.”

Loki Fish Co., at Farmers Market. 2 “red critical” and 3 blue violations in 7 inspections – including: “thermometers not available or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods;” and “improper cold holding temperatures.”

New Teriyaki And Wok. 5 “red critical” and 2 blue violations – including: “raw meats, poultry and aquatic foods not stored away from ready-to-eat foods;” “hands not washed;” “room temperature storage;” and “improper methods used to prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.”

Papa John’s: 3 “red critical” violations – including: “improper cold holding temperatures;” and “inadequate hand washing facilities.”

Sub Shop ##9. 4 “red critical” violations – including: “improper cold holding temperatures;” “thermometers not available or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods;” and “inadequate hand washing facilities.”

Subway: 5 blue violations – including: “physical facilities not properly installed, maintained, clean;” and “non-food contact surfaces not maintained, clean, sanitized.”

Thai Tan. 2 “red critical” and I blue violation in 2 inspections – including “improper cold holding temperatures;” and “raw meats, poultry and aquatic foods not stored away from ready-to-eat foods.”

West Seattle Thriftway Grocery: 4 “red critical” and 2 blue violations in 2 inspections – including: “improper washing of fruits and vegetables;” “improper cold holding temperatures;” “food not protected from potential contamination during preparation, storage, display;” and “improper methods used to prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.”

West Seattle Thriftway Meat and Seafood Shop. 4 “red critical” violations – including: “improper parasite destruction procedures for fish.”

UPDATE, 5/26/10: It’s good to see others using this database, as well. Here’s a recent report from a neighborhood news blog in Seattle. “How Did Your Favorite Restaurant Fare At Inspection,” Maple Leaf Life, 5/24/10