The TBDHU is following a revised province-wide risk assessment for food premises called the Operational Approaches for Food Safety Guideline, 2019.
This guideline is expected to make better use of the time spent inspecting food premises.
Food premises include places that prepare food and those that sell prepared food. Each place is assigned a risk level that reflects the likelihood that microbial contaminants (i.e. bacteria or viruses) can get into a food product and potentially cause illness in a person who consumes it or even an outbreak if more people are affected.
Previously, the risk levels assigned (high, moderate or low) to food premises were based on the type of food premises. The new approach now allows health units in Ontario to consider a food premises' past performance related to food safety practices, and a food premises' inspections when assessing its risk level; not just the type of premises it is. For example, if a restaurant has certain food safety practices in place, such as providing safe food handling training for all its employees, and has consistently demonstrated compliance with expected food safety practices, public health inspectors would now be able to assess it as moderate risk instead of high risk. On the other hand, a convenience store that has had several infractions with respect to food safety might now be assessed at a higher risk level instead of at a low risk.
The risk level of a food premises determines the type and frequency of inspections that will be done in a given year. Therefore, a key outcome of this change to the risk assessment approach is that it will allow public health inspectors to focus more time and energy on those food premises that are at highest risk of food safety infractions regardless of the type of premises it is. It will also mean that food premises, including restaurants that have consistently demonstrated strong food safety practices, may be inspected less frequently - although regular monitoring will still occur. Overall, the end result is better use of public health resources while still maintaining a high level of vigilance in protecting the public from foodborne illnesses.