Restaurant patrons may need to be more cautious before dining out, considering the potential health risks at local businesses discovered by the Ohio Department of Health.

Though the majority of restaurants in the campus area were flawless in their 2003 Food Service Operation Inspection Report, a few were noted for multiple violations, including food being stored at incorrect temperatures.

“Any violation related to the temperature is a serious concern,” Ahmed Yousef, professor in microbiology, said.

A common problem that worried Yousef was the lack of thermometers, which ensure the temperature of the food is high or low enough to prevent harmful bacterial growth. Both Chinese Village and Wong Gei did not have probe thermometers, while Gumby’s Pizza did not have any thermometers during their 2003 inspections.

The 2004 inspection reports have not been released yet, but will be available for public inquiry at the Ohio Department of Health headquarters.

The most common problem found was that restaurants did not have a sanitation test kit available. Steak ‘n Shake, Adriatico’s, Subway, Mark Pi Express and Korean Restaurant were all violators of this code.

Sanitation test kits, as well as thermometers, help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in food. Every year an estimated 40 million people are affected by foodbourne illnesses that can be as minor as stomach cramps, or so serious as to be life threatening.

When food is left out at room temperature some microorganism populations, such as listeria, can double in 20 minutes as opposed to taking over a day to do so if it was refrigerated. Someone who has been afflicted with listeria will begin to develop flu-like symptoms and can develop meningitis.

Those who develop meningitis from listeria have a fatality rate of 30 percent, Yousef said.

The food laws that are inspected for during the unannounced visit vary from state to state, but there are many federal guidelines as well.

“Food laws are all around us; we usually don’t become conscious of it before something happens,” said Melvin Pascall, assistant professor of food science and technology, who specializes in food law.

The federal laws in place have become more sensitized since the Sept. 11 attacks, Pascall said. However, the inspectors for the Ohio-based laws have struggled to maintain their level of service.

“Columbus continues to grow and it is a challenge for us to keep our staff at adequate levels,” said Bob Kramer, supervisor for the food safety program in the ODOH. “We always feel as if we are a little behind because of the tremendous growth of the food industry in Columbus. Right now we are okay, but we need one or two more people.”

When an inspector finds a violation the restaurants are notified of it on the spot. If the violation is with food, inspectors will ask to take the questionable food down to their labs to be tested. If the restaurant refuses it is then closed and the sample tested anyway. When the problems are severe enough a case will be made by the board of health.

The last campus restaurant whose problems were that severe was Buffalo Bill’s over five years ago. The majority of the ODOH’s concerns with Buffalo Bill’s involved structural problems. Buffalo Bill’s then closed down voluntarily, only to reopen across the street as Champs Cafe, said Jim Hartment, food service operations inspector of the Buffalo Bill case.

Yousef urges patrons to do their own simple common sense inspections. Something he pays close attention to is the personal hygiene of the employees and the restrooms in the establishment.

Both the Blue Danube and Rally’s were written up for violations regarding their restrooms. Donatos Pizza obtained a hygienic practice violation among their other four noted problems. Of the 39 restaurants’ inspection reports viewed, no other establishment had four or more problems.

When a patron does notice something problematic, Kramer advises them to report it to the food health safety program.

“Consumers are another set of eyes for us. If they see any problems they should give us a call and we’ll inspect it for them,” Kramer said.

Food and health safety extends to everyone’s personal kitchen as well.

“The best starting point (to prevent illness) is common sense,” Yousef said. “If you open a container of food and it smells funny, maybe something healthy is not going on in that food.”