A faulty software program and an understaffed, underpaid inspection team creates significant health threats for Fresno County diners, a civil grand jury report concludes.

The Fresno County Grand Jury report released this week paints a bleak picture of available resources for the county’s Department of Health inspectors. Jurors found the county’s investment in 2020 into new software doesn’t allow inspectors to post in real-time and double bills some restaurants.

At the human level, staffing levels for the inspection team have not changed since the 1990s, even as the number of restaurants has grown “exponentially.” This means some restaurants go unchecked for more than a year. The report called for higher fees for restaurants, more county staffing, and a review of the underperforming software.

“The Grand Jury has concluded that (Environmental Health Department) cannot always assure food safety in Fresno County restaurants,” the report states. “The subjectivity and inconsistency apparent in restaurant inspections, as well as an overwhelming workload for Food Inspectors contribute to our conclusion, as does the apparent difficulty of closing restaurants in violation of the Food Code, a process made more challenging by the requirement to obtain a supervisor’s approval, even though an imminent health hazard exists.”

County Officials Respond: We Are Doing a Good Job

In a statement following the release of the report, Fresno County officials stood by the work of the environmental health division. They credited the team for stopping a botulism outbreak in June. Inspectors suspect the serious illness began at a family event. The Department of Public Health also worked to ensure hospitals also had sufficient antitoxins to treat patients.

Some Restaurants Go Without an Inspection for More Than a Year

Restaurants have to be inspected four times a year. However, the grand jury found the county’s team can’t keep up with that demand, especially considering the extra work they are expected to do.

Of the 75 inspection team members, 22 are dedicated to inspecting 11,000 restaurants. Typically, inspectors have to review four to five restaurants a day, but that rate isn’t enough to hit all the eateries. To visit every restaurant, inspectors would have to look at more than six every workday. But even that number is misleading because it doesn’t account for employee holidays and vacations. It also doesn’t account for the inspectors’ additional duties.

“The expectation may not, in itself, seem unreasonable; however, a large sampling of inspection reports available online indicates few food facilities, if any, receive four routine inspections per year, and some facilities have not been inspected for a year or more,” the report read.

Inspectors Overworked, Underpaid: Grand Jury Report

A third of restaurants have health violations, the report stated. That means inspectors have to go back in five days to make sure corrections have been made. Those re-inspections aren’t calculated in the time they spend every day. Additionally, inspectors have to review mobile units, cottage food industries, and restaurant blueprints. They may even find themselves having to inspect hotel pools, putting additional demands on their day.

Becoming an inspector is no easy task. They have to have a Bachelor of Science degree, a 600-hour internship, six-to-eight weeks of training, and time spent learning policy and procedure. For all that, entry level pay begins at $57,000 a year.

For reference, a fast-food employ can earn $42,000, the grand jury report states. The top pay an inspector can earn in Fresno County is $86,000, giving little incentive to get a job in the business, the report concludes.

In nearby San Joaquin County, starting pay is $79,000 with pay capped at $104,000. And, in Kern County, inspectors can earn $132,000.

For their part, Fresno County Supervisors approved a 23% pay increase that will take full effect by July 2025, according to a statement from the county in response to the report.

The county also approved free parking downtown and competitive health benefits to attract workers.

“For a person with the educational background of a food inspector, private industry is far more lucrative, and ongoing staff shortages are due partly to the non-competitive salary extended to food inspector applicants,” the grand jury report stated.

Software Not Delivering on Promises: Grand Jury

In 2020, county supervisors approved a contract for new software moving inspectors away from papers to online reporting. The county said the software has improved access to reports and inspection processes.

The grand jury reports, however, the system falls short.

Filling out a report takes twice as long than handwritten ones, jurors found after shadowing inspectors. The software doesn’t work on cellular data either, it requires wi-fi, so inspectors have to turn their phones into hotspots to submit reports.

When the system first rolled out, the system would not generate bills. After the county fixed the software, another problem arose when restaurants found themselves being double billed. A promised calendar scheduling inspections never worked, and restaurants did not receive hard copies of reports, as required by the California Retail Food Code.

“While some of the software issues have been addressed and fixed at a significant cost to Fresno County, many needed functions are not in the program and continue to frustrate inspectors and administrative personnel,” the report stated.

Some Restaurants Continue to Operate Despite Not Having Permits

The Grand Jury says the county needs to increase permit fees and penalty fees for restaurants, bars, and markets. The $109 re-inspection fee for continued health violations at a restaurant isn’t enough to deter bad practices, they said.

Some restaurants still have outstanding fees of more than $1,000. Others, despite not having a valid permit, still operate, the report stated. They acknowledged shortfalls in the software may be at fault in some instances.

The county said it plans to update existing fees and add new fees to make the department more self-sustaining.

“These food facilities are allowed to continue to operate in violation of California Retail Food Code that calls for immediate closure of expired permits or unpermitted facilities,” the report stated.