FARMINGTON -- Unsanitary restaurants and illnesses associated with bad food were the most frequent environmental complaints by Davis residents in 1998.
However, the county had fewer such complaints per capita than the Salt Lake area.According to statistics compiled by Delane McGarvey, deputy director of the Davis Environmental Health and Laboratory Division, problems with food generated 219 complaints, 32.1 percent of all environmental complaints.
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Of those, 133 were about unsanitary conditions in public food facilities and 86 were about food-borne illnesses.
In many cases, it's not possible to determine the exact source of a suspected food-borne illness so authorities often cannot confirm if a complaint is founded or unfounded, McGarvey said.
Davis County's two largest cities -- the ones with the most restaurants -- generated the largest numbers of food complaints. Layton had 104, 47.5 percent; and Bountiful had 44, 20 percent.
McGarvey said the number of complaints doesn't necessarily indicate one place is worse than another but may be a reflection of the degree of sensitivity of people in a particular area.
Despite the problems, Davis County in 1998 was apparently a much safer place to eat in public than Salt Lake County, which had 1,857 food-related complaints, 1 for every 391 residents. The Davis ratio was 1 complaint for every 858 residents.
And while Davis County had no major food-borne disease outbreaks in 1998, Salt Lake had eight.
"Food service is an enigma," McGarvey said. "The technology exists to have it be a very safe industry but we are not meeting the expectations of the public."
Although better equipment, cold storage and cleaning surfaces have improved food service conditions, complaints have been increasing rather than decreasing over the years, McGarvey said.
In Salt Lake County, food complaints have also continued to increase, said Dan White, director of the Bureau of Food Protection for the Salt Lake City-County Health Department.
McGarvey attributed the problems to inadequate supervision. "Management in the food industry is really critical," he said.
He said he also believes more complaints are being made about restaurants and food-borne illness because of greater public awareness.
McGarvey said he is concerned that resources devoted to food inspection are not adequate. Currently, the Davis Health Department inspects every food preparation facility in the county twice a year, the minimum mandated by state law.
"Even for a good establishment, with only two inspections a year, you lose oversight," he said.
McGarvey said that over the years, the Utah Legislature has lowered food inspection standards. In the 1970s, four inspections were required. In the '80s, the number dropped to three.
McGarvey said he would like to see the number of inspections go back to three a year, but there is nothing in the works to make that happen.
The Salt Lake City-County Health Department does not have the resources to meet even the minimum state requirement of two yearly inspections per facility, White said.
"We do most of them, but can't get to all of them, so we choose based on risk and history," he said.
White said he would like to have the resources to conduct six to eight inspections per facility a year.