Here they are; Columbia Borough’s “PUBLIC EATING AND DRINKING PLACE INSPECTION CHECKLIST”  forms for inspections performed during August.

• Columbia High School
• CHS Gym concession stand
• Taylor Elementary School
• Park Elementary School
• CHS Athletic Field Concession Stand

Pay note to the dates and times of the inspections; the speed and efficiency of the inspection process is commendable. Two separate facilities at two separate locations at the same time? Remarkable. And a Saturday inspection. Exceptional, to be sure.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has responsibility, “by law, to inspect all eating and drinking establishments once per year. Inspectors may go back several more times in that year if complaints are received, or if the initial inspection was not passed. When the department receives a complaint, an inspector is sent to check the validity of the complaint and make sure any corrective action is taken, if needed. If a restaurant does not pass its initial inspection, a follow-up inspection is scheduled to make sure that changes are made. The reason for each inspection is listed in the report.”

You may ask, “Why aren’t all the restaurants in Pennsylvania in this database?”

“Not all restaurants in Pennsylvania are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture. Some local municipalities, counties, cities, etc., do their own inspections. In Lancaster County, the only borough to do so is Columbia Borough. You should contact the county or local health department in that area for the inspection records.”

If food safety was not so critical in nature, the “rubber-stamp” sameness of the monthly reports and the distinct differences of inspection procedures between Columbia and every other Borough (and the State for that matter) would be laughable.