London, ON – After almost five years of providing information about food premises inspections in London and Middlesex County, the Middlesex-London Health Unit has given its DineSafe website a facelift. Launched in February, 2010, the DineSafe website provides up-to-date information about the results of inspections conducted by Public Health Inspectors at restaurants, cafeterias, grocery and convenience stores, and anywhere food is sold. The new website uses the same responsive design functionality that makes the Health Unit’s main website work on devices ranging from smart phones and tablets to computers.
Since it’s been online, the DineSafe website has enabled users to search for specific restaurants and stores, or for food premises in a given community, and to access the results of public health inspections at those businesses. The revised version of the site maintains these functions and also provides additional information and improved functionality. For the first time the web resource indicates in real-time the colour of the DineSafe placard currently posted on-site, linking these two important components of the food inspection disclosure program. The website also provides a map function that shows the location, and inspection status of food premises in London and Middlesex County.
“We expect there’s going to be a lot of interest in how we’ve enhanced the DineSafe website. It’s been a great resource for consumers across our region and the changes we’ve made to the site take it to the next level,” says David Pavletic, Manager of the Food Safety Program with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “You can use the map function anywhere in London and Middlesex County to see your nearby dining choices, as well as the colour of the sign on their door and how they’ve done during their last few inspections.”
The Middlesex-London Health Unit’s DineSafe Program is perhaps best known for its colour-coded signs, posted at all food premises in the region, which provide consumers with a quick, visual reference indicating the business’ inspection status. From its beginnings, the website was intended to complement this disclosure system by providing publicly-accessible details about food premises inspections, including any infractions noted by Public Health Inspectors and any enforcement activities.
The revised website can be found at www.dinesafemiddlesexlondon.ca, while additional information about the DineSafe Program and a guide to using the “search” function on the revised site is at www.healthunit.com/about-dinesafe.
Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit, 519-663-5317 extension 2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell.)
Spokesperson:
David Pavletic, Manager of Environmental Health, Food Safety Program, Middlesex-London Health Unit