Chapter 62 Introduction

Restaurant inspections ensure that food served to the public at licensed food establishments follows food safety guidelines. The Food Protection Division of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is committed to maintaining the safety of food bought, sold, or prepared for public consumption in Chicago by carrying out science-based inspections of all retail food establishments. These inspections promote public health in areas of food safety and sanitation and prevent the occurrence of food-borne illness. CDPH’s licensed, accredited sanitarians inspect retail food establishments such as restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, convenience stores, hospitals, nursing homes, day care facilities, shelters, schools, and temporary food service events. Inspections focus on food handling practices, product temperatures, personal hygiene, facility maintenance, and pest control. All restaurants are subject to certain recurring inspections. Each year a restaurant is subject to annual inspections to ensure continued compliance with City ordinances and regulations. In addition to recurring inspections, restaurants may also be inspected in response to a complaint. Some of these recurring inspections, such as the inspection by the Buildings Department, will be scheduled, while others will not.

Generally inspections are conducted by the Health Department for sanitation and safe food handling practices, the Buildings Department to ensure the safety of the structure, and the Fire Department to ensure safe fire exits.The City’s Dumpster Task Force, a collaborative effort between the Health Department and Streets and Sanitation Department, also inspects restaurants to ensure compliance with sanitation regulations.

library(DT)       # table format display of data
library(leaflet) # maps
library(lubridate)

rm(list=ls())

fillColor = "#FFA07A"
fillColor2 = "#F1C40F"

FoodInspections =  read_csv("input/Food_Inspections.csv")