One of the most popular and most read features in local newspapers and news websites are the food safety inspection results of restaurants and other places that prepare food.

It seems that most restaurants have violations, although many of them don’t have major violations that would shut them down immediately. An immediate shutdown is made only when it's determined there is imminent potential to make a diner sick or worse. The most common violations appear to be insects and equipment that isn’t clean.

But even those violations that are considered minor can lead to fines or even a suspension of a license if they’re not corrected.

On The Spark Tuesday, Shannon Powers, Press Secretary with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture was asked who or what are subject to inspections under the law,"Pretty much any place that food is sold out of the packet. In other words, not just, potato chips and things that are in sealed containers. So, food trucks. Convenience stores, if they prepare food, which many of them do now. It covers restaurants and bars, hotels, places that serve food, retail, schools.

Powers said there are fines and penalties for establishments that don't correct violations but punishment is not the point of the inspections,"It's about educating their staff, working with those business owners to make sure that their customers are safe. That's what every business owner wants. Nobody wants to make their customers sick."

You can access food safety inspections reports and learn about inspections here.

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