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Board to hold hearing on new risk-based food safety requirement after repeat B or C inspections
Summary
Lynn City Health Department staff told the Board of Health they will propose an amendment requiring establishments receiving two B- or C-grade inspections in a fiscal year, emergency closures or health-risk events to enter a risk-assessment plan; the board voted to post a public hearing.
The Lynn City Board of Health voted to post a public hearing to consider an amendment that would require food establishments to enter a risk-assessment plan after specified inspection outcomes, staff said.
Health Department staff described the proposal as the next phase of the department’s food-safety standards and said it is intended to reduce foodborne illness by moving establishments that repeatedly receive B or C grades — or that experience emergency closures or health-risk events — into a risk-based control plan.
A Health Department staff member explained that under the proposal, which would be tied to the city’s fiscal year, an establishment that receives two routine inspections with a B or C between July and the following June would be required to enter a risk-assessment plan. "So anything with a B or a C... if you receive a B or a C within that time frame, which is technically 2 routine inspections, you'd be required to go into risk assessment," the staff member said. Staff also said an emergency closure or a health-risk event would trigger the requirement.
The staff described the proposal as aligned with FDA standards and as the next step after implementing the city’s "standard 3" work. Staff discussed options that could be required under a risk-assessment plan, from education and training to hiring a consultant, and noted that requiring a consultant could impose an additional cost on establishments.
Board members discussed scheduling a hearing and emphasized that a public hearing is appropriate because the amendment could create new costs. One board member said the board should not decide the final language on the night of the hearing and suggested using the hearing to gather comments before voting at a later meeting. The board voted to post the public hearing and to plan further discussion on proposed language before the hearing.
Staff said the department maintains seven standards it must meet and that work on standard 3 is underway; speakers made inconsistent numerical references to which standards have been met and staff said they would provide an update at the next meeting. Staff also mentioned HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plans as a possible compliance tool.
