Have you noticed the scannable QR code posted on the wall or door of your favorite restaurant or grocery store? That’s how you know the Licking County Health Department has been there.
Visitors can scan the QR code which will take them directly to the food and safety report of the facility. Or, they can visit the Licking County Health Department’s inspection record look-up page to view the inspection results of their most commonly used food services.
According to the Licking County Health Department’s 2024 Annual Health Report, 10,396 food and safety violations were identified in 2024 during 3,254 food safety inspections, which includes both standard and follow-up inspections.
Violations can be as simple as a cracked floor tile or a missing food label. It’s rare that these violations are for pests, incorrect refrigeration temperatures or other concerning issues. And, according to Traven Wood, director of indoor environmental health, the Health Department typically finds more noncritical violations during inspections.
The number of violations is a decrease from 2023, when inspectors reported 12,352 food and safety violations. However, Wood said this number reflects no significant change compared to recent years.
If the company has a food license – they prepare, serve or sell food – they will be inspected. This includes restaurants, grocery stores, mobile food trucks and even some vending machines. The Health Department also conducts inspections for companies with temporary food licenses, often for festivals or fairs. Inspections of temporary food licenses made up 256 of the total number of inspections.
Violations fall into two categories: critical and noncritical violations.
Critical violations are categorized as anything that could lead to an immediate public health hazard. Wood uses the example of a refrigerator – or cold holding facility – at the improper temperature. Noncritical violations, such as a stained or missing ceiling tile, will not lead to an immediate public health hazard.
Referring to noncritical violations, Wood said, “It’s a problem, but there’s not an urgency to have it fixed because it’s not going to necessarily cause an immediate issue.”
If it’s critical, there is urgency. Ideally, companies will be able to fix these violations while the inspector is on site. For example, if the chemical bottle isn’t labeled and the employee knows what it is, they can correct the error during the inspection.
“With critical violations, if we ever cite one and it’s left uncorrected, we are going to return somewhere between three to 10 business days to follow up on that violation,” Wood said.
With noncritical violations, the Health Department will return in six to 12 months and ideally these violations will be fixed.
Wood explained it is crucial to continue to hold all food providers accountable.
“If you do something long enough, you tend to get complacent,” Wood said. “It’s essential that whatever food is being prepared and served to the customer is safe. Depending on the establishment, a simple mistake could lead to a major outbreak and cause a lot of illness for a lot of people in a very quick amount of time.”
There is no score associated with the inspection after completion, but Wood explains viewers can gauge how a facility is doing by looking at the number and severity of critical violations.
“If there are no critical violations, then you know that’s been a pretty good day,” Wood said.
Wood said the worst issues he sees during violations are pest situations, or infestations. For Wood, cockroaches are the worst. He knocks on the wood of his desk when he explains he doesn’t run into pest situations often.
“Any pest is bad, but if you have cockroaches, usually if you have one, you have many. It’s not just a random thing, and they’re very difficult to get rid of, especially in a restaurant,” Wood said.
Wood emphasizes that these violations do not occur often, yet they usually run into a few each year.
The goal, Wood said, is never to shut down any facilities. If they continue to fail to correct violations, Licking County has a program called Enhanced Enforcement Program (EEP), the enforcement policy allows for the Health Department to sit down with the business owner to establish a plan of action to fix the violations. Wood emphasized its rare that the violations get extreme to the point of closure.
“We tend to have a good rapport and working relationship with all of the business owners to try to get to that resolution,” Wood said.
Wood emphasizes that the number of inspections in Licking County is hard to compare to surrounding counties because every jurisdiction goes about their inspections a bit differently.
“I’ve been told that Licking County’s food safety inspections tend to be a little heavy on the number. We are certainly citing critical violations and things that need to be documented, but they’re not excessive, in my opinion,” Wood said.
Wood explained that the biggest variation is often in the facility type. A small convenience store will typically not have as many violations as a large grocery store, just due to the size of the stores themselves. Additionally, facilities that sell food but don’t prepare the food on site tend to have fewer violations.
Ella Diehl writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.