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Fans of famous British chef Gordon Ramsay’s TV show “Kitchen Nightmares” are given a peek behind the scenes of restaurants — the kind of peek you may not really want to see.
Ramsay tries to save failing restaurants with kitchens plagued by problems like pests, unsanitary conditions and other health code violations — not exactly the sort of places you’d like to think about your food being prepared in.
However, state health officials are in charge of keeping local restaurants accountable, and they perform regular inspections in order to make sure violations — like the kind seen on “Kitchen Nightmares” — aren’t allowed to continue.
In Harvey County, inspections are performed by the state’s Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
“We address all food safety-related complaints,” said Nicole Hamm, inspection manager.
According to Hamm, the state employs 33 inspectors, and also uses contract inspectors from Sedgwick and Johnson counties.
The division also inspects grocery stores, convenience stores, schools, senior meal sites, mobile food units, lodging facilities, food wholesalers and warehouses, food processors and food manufacturers.
State statute requires restaurants to be inspected at least once a year, and the department also can perform special inspections if it receives complaints about a particular restaurant.
Inspections are unannounced, and any violations must be corrected at the time of the inspection.
Hamm said inspectors check for a variety of factors, including:
- Temperature of the food, to make sure it is cold or hot enough
- Pests
- Employee practices
- Properly working equipment
- Expired or spoiled food
- Clean and sanitary conditions
According to recent KSDA report, recent violations in some Newton restaurants included employees not wearing gloves when touching raw meat; equipment that hadn’t been properly sanitized; and cleaning chemicals stored too close to food.
To view inspection reports from restaurants in the Harvey County area, Hamm recommends visiting www.ksda.gov/food_safety/content/336. Just type in the name of the restaurant you’d like to search for, the city it’s in and then select the county.
If you are unable to find a particular report, you also can request one online, Hamm said.
If you ever have a complaint about a restaurant, you can fill out a form online at www.ksda.gov/open_records/id/13 or call (785) 296-7430 or (785) 296-5600.
Fans of famous British chef Gordon Ramsay’s TV show “Kitchen Nightmares” are given a peek behind the scenes of restaurants — the kind of peek you may not really want to see.
Ramsay tries to save failing restaurants with kitchens plagued by problems like pests, unsanitary conditions and other health code violations — not exactly the sort of places you’d like to think about your food being prepared in.
However, state health officials are in charge of keeping local restaurants accountable, and they perform regular inspections in order to make sure violations — like the kind seen on “Kitchen Nightmares” — aren’t allowed to continue.
In Harvey County, inspections are performed by the state’s Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
“We address all food safety-related complaints,” said Nicole Hamm, inspection manager.
According to Hamm, the state employs 33 inspectors, and also uses contract inspectors from Sedgwick and Johnson counties.
The division also inspects grocery stores, convenience stores, schools, senior meal sites, mobile food units, lodging facilities, food wholesalers and warehouses, food processors and food manufacturers.
State statute requires restaurants to be inspected at least once a year, and the department also can perform special inspections if it receives complaints about a particular restaurant.
Inspections are unannounced, and any violations must be corrected at the time of the inspection.
Hamm said inspectors check for a variety of factors, including:
- Temperature of the food, to make sure it is cold or hot enough
- Pests
- Employee practices
- Properly working equipment
- Expired or spoiled food
- Clean and sanitary conditions
According to recent KSDA report, recent violations in some Newton restaurants included employees not wearing gloves when touching raw meat; equipment that hadn’t been properly sanitized; and cleaning chemicals stored too close to food.
To view inspection reports from restaurants in the Harvey County area, Hamm recommends visiting www.ksda.gov/food_safety/content/336. Just type in the name of the restaurant you’d like to search for, the city it’s in and then select the county.
If you are unable to find a particular report, you also can request one online, Hamm said.
If you ever have a complaint about a restaurant, you can fill out a form online at www.ksda.gov/open_records/id/13 or call (785) 296-7430 or (785) 296-5600.
