AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: A Recipe For Trouble

State food reports go online

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has made good on a promise to put food-safety inspection reports for restaurants, school cafeterias, day-care centers and other food establishments on the Internet.

Audit attacks Agriculture for risky food oversight

HARRISBURG | The health of Pennsylvanians has been put at risk because the state Department of Agriculture failed to inspect restaurants and other food retailers adequately, a scathing report issued Thursday by the state auditor general's office says.

Easton: Prison kept food unsafely

Northampton County Prison has stored food in a bathroom, did not have hot water or soap for kitchen workers to wash their hands and used refrigerators not cold enough to safely store food.

Finally some guidance for restaurant-goers

The July 31 and Aug. 1 articles on food safety were a consumer service that was sorely needed in the Lehigh Valley. Prior to this fine reporting, we restaurant-goers had no place to review the eateries that we frequent.

Spotty restaurant inspection practices: another reason for new health department

Many conclusions were drawn from The Morning Call's nine-month study of food safety at Pennsylvania eateries and retailers. An editorial Wednesday analyzed significant changes needed in restaurant inspections in the Lehigh Valley. But the alarming disparities in inspection practices between communities also underscore the need for county health departments, an issue Northampton County already has tackled.

State to dish up online reports in change to food inspection system

The state for the first time will allow consumers to access restaurant reports online, part of a computerized effort to expedite record-keeping and increase inspections of eateries across Pennsylvania.

OPINION: A lack of accountability, transparency in restaurant inspections threatens health

How comfortable can you feel about the food you eat when dining out? The answer depends on the individual restaurant — and, equally importantly, the community in which it is located.

RECIPE FOR TROUBLE: AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Can the state mend broken food safety system?

Second of a two-day series

RECIPE FOR TROUBLE: AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

A Recipe For Trouble

When you visit Wendy's on Union Boulevard in Allentown to order a No. 1 Combo, you expect a hot, fresh sandwich and fries at a bargain price. You'll also be getting a fast-food meal fixed in a kitchen that has been scrutinized for cleanliness and safety 10 times in the last five years.

RECIPE FOR TROUBLE: AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Most school cafeterias pass test

Students might not always think highly of the mystery meat they get at school, but they can't complain about cleanliness in the caf.

RECIPE FOR TROUBLE: AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Easton provides problems in accessing food safety data

The Pennsylvania Right to Know Law was invoked. Attorneys were dispatched. Paper flew back and forth for two months. The mayor got involved.

RECIPE FOR TROUBLE: AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Making sense of a mountain of data, one byte at a time

For the analysis of restaurant inspections, The Morning Call contacted every agency in its Pennsylvania circulation area that inspects restaurants, school cafeterias, church kitchens and other food establishments.

RECIPE FOR TROUBLE: AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Is Your Food Safe? Local Contact Information

If you see what may be a food safety violation at a restaurant or food retailer, you can speak to the on-site manager or call the agency responsible for doing inspections in that municipality.

GRAPHIC: Thousands of Eateries, Dozens of Inspectors...

GRAPHIC: Potential Problem Areas in Commercial Kitchens

GRAPHIC: A Full Plate

MCALL.COM DATABASE: Search Area and State Inspection Reports Now!

INTERACT: How would YOU improve area food safety?

State Agricultural Audit Report