LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas has just about every kind of food you can imagine— whether you’re in the mood for a burger or barbeque, a food truck, or fine dining, the Natural State is packed with choices.
But is it true that the health department does inspections on restaurants in Arkansas every year?
According to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), environmental health specialists conduct around 36,000 inspections of retail food establishments every year. The goal is to ensure compliance with the rules and protect people from foodborne, or other illnesses.
The number of inspections conducted may depend on different factors, but each facility is to be inspected at least once per year. The ADH said it depends on the level of the risk for foodborne illness.
For example, small grocery or convenience stores selling only commercially produced and packaged products, are inspected once a year, while fast food places and restaurants that prepare food for immediate service receive two checkups per year.
Other locations, such as a buffet, where food is cooked, cooled, and reheated in large amounts, are inspected three times annually. However, those schedules can change if one or more violations are found.
"Additional inspections will occur to follow-up on any violations that are observed during routine inspections, and, if or when the department receives a complaint," said ADH Public Information Officer Danyelle McNeill.
So, we can verify that yes, restaurants in Arkansas are subject to at least one inspection per calendar year. The health department also offers the public a website where an establishment can be searched for, to see if violations have been found, and if so, whether they have been properly addressed.