Hamilton was already considering a plan to put inspection results online. That proposal gained momentum when a hepatitis A outbreak occurred in November 2014.
Sometimes something bad leads to something good.
As case in point was the unfortunate outbreak of hepatitis A cases linked to a Hamilton restaurant in late 2014. That gave the township the added impetus to rethink its oversight of restaurant inspections.
Hamilton was already considering a plan to put inspection results online so that the information could be widely available to anyone wishing to check out a restaurant's safety record. That proposal gained added incentive when a food handler at Rosa's Restaurant and Catering in Hamilton fell ill with the disease in November 2014 and in the months following three people who ate at the restaurant contracted the hepatitis A virus.
The outbreak lead Hamilton public health officials to sponsor a vaccination clinic for township residents and urged others to consult their physicians for a vaccine to guard against the virus, whose symptoms include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and dark urine and jaundice.
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It turns out that Rosa's Restaurant had a history of health violations. But finding out about a food establishment's safety record can often be a cumbersome process.
If someone wants to see an inspection report in a county or municipality that doesn't post this information online, they have two options: File an Open Public Records Act request with the county or municipality in question or ask to see a copy at that establishment itself. Under state law, food service providers are required to furnish a copy upon request.
In New Jersey, the responsibility for conducting restaurant health inspections rests either with the county or the local towns, thus creating a patchwork of systems to inform the public about violations.
To its credit, Hamilton unveiled its searchable website earlier this month at hamiltonnj.com/foodsafety. It lists inspection ratings for the township's 500 restaurants and retail food shops. The township also has beefed up fines for chronic violators.
Retail food establishments in Hamilton are inspected annually and receive ratings of "satisfactory," "conditionally satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory." The new database shows the three most recent inspection results.
N.J. town hit by hepatitis A outbreak
By putting the restaurant health inspection results online, Hamilton is not only offering a service to the public, but motivating restaurant owners and other food providers to correct violations and ensure that their establishments follow all safety rules.
The online reporting model has paid off for Camden County, which now posts inspection results directly online after inspectors input the information electronically on tablets.
"It's working really well," said Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the county health department. "We are now 100 percent compliant."
The lesson that can be learned from this is that the public is best served when government is open and transparent.