NY Food Safety Division Not Keeping Up With Inspections

The Department of Agriculture and Markets is not keeping up with the demands of its inspection schedule, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The backlog has allowed hundreds of new establishments to start serving the public without the required initial inspection, as well as allowing thousands of food manufacturers, supermarkets, bakeries and other food-related businesses to operate without updated inspections .

The department’s Division of Food Safety and Inspection is responsible for inspecting more than 31,000 establishments. From April 1, 2011 through June 4, 2013, it received 5,724 consumer complaints for investigation, and inspectors obtained 3,894 food samples for testing to identify potential violations of food safety.

DiNapoli’s auditors found that as of June 4, inspections that were due for almost 5,000 establishments had not been completed. Another 439 new establishments did not yet have a required initial inspection completed prior to opening for business.

A random sample of 45 of the new establishments found that license applications had languished for an average of six months. Nineteen of those businesses (42 percent) were already preparing food without the required inspection. They included fish markets, delis and convenience stores.