Consumers can now see what restaurants are serving up behind the scenes.
The Alberta Health Services announced Thursday people will be able to go online to access any results of recent health inspections on various restaurants throughout the city.
Alberta Health Services chair Ken Hughes said it is an important step to ensuring the process remains open to the public.
"This is another example of an initiative that will not only provide residents with access to information that can help them make wise decisions when eating out but also encourages them to be active participants in protecting their health," he said in a news release.
Starting July 1, if people go online, they will see each restaurant's listing.
James Ciorillo, owner of Fantasia Gelateria E Caf� downtown, said he likes the idea.
"(Restaurants) have to follow the rules," he said. "I mean they're put in place for a reason. The ones that aren't following it, they're going to pay the price."
But some restaurant owners fear previous convictions might hurt business.
The Golden Rice Bowl had several violations this past April. Manager Alan Ng spoke with CTV News and said the situation was corrected within a week. He blames staff turnover for improper health procedures.
"Some of them might be new," Ng said. "We always try and teach them and show them shift after shift, to try and get the plates neat and clean."
Ng is supportive of the website, but says he hopes the public understands that the restaurant is up to standards now.
The site will allow consumers to see a restaurant's five most recent monitoring inspections since April 1, 2008 and any subsequent inspections.
Dr. Gerry Predy, medical officer of health for the province, said the site will give restaurant owners a chance to maintain their business.
"The theory is that if they do do it, if it is public, they will be more likely to change" he said. "People can see the outcome of the inspection and the violation and whether or not it was corrected and how quickly it was corrected."
Capital Health's Environmental Health Officers complete more than 26,000 inspections of almost 8,000 food establishments in the region each year.
Environmental health officer Sharon Regimbald said her job is critical to the health of consumers.
"What we do is come in as a third party to double check things are running properly and [restaurants] are following the food regulations," she said.
Routine monitoring inspections are done:
- Annually in restaurants such as coffee shops
- Twice a year in fast food outlets
- Three times a year in full service facilities such as restaurants in hotels
Click here to access the review site online.
Individuals without access to the Internet can call Capital Health Link at 780-408-LINK.
