Audit of Chicago Department of Public Health Food Establishment Inspections

Executive Summary

The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has completed an audit of the frequency of food establishment inspections conducted by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Specifically, the objectives of this audit were to determine whether CDPH’s Food Protection Division conducted routine inspections of food establishments as often as required by the Department’s rules and regulations incorporating State law, conducted inspections triggered by complaints and reinspections of known violations in a timely manner, and accurately reported the results of inspections and reinspections through the City’s Data Portal.

OIG concluded that, during the time period covered by the audit, CDPH did not conduct routine inspections of food establishments as often as required. CDPH has been out of compliance for a number of years; in fact, the Department could not state when, if ever, it last met the regulatory standards in this area. OIG determined that CDPH is seriously understaffed for conducting all the routine inspections required by law. However, we found that when CDPH identified a violation or received a complaint, it conducted reinspections and complaint-based inspections in a timely manner.

OIG also found that the relationship between CDPH and its database vendor did not follow policies put forth by the Department of Procurement Services and the Department of Innovation and Technology regarding data maintenance and licensing. Finally, we confirmed that the food establishment inspection data posted to the City’s Data Portal is complete and accurate.