Over 100 restuarants in Athens recieved critical violations in health inspections according to the Environmental Health Department of Northeast Georgia. The number of restaurants that actually failed their inspection is much smaller. However, even if a restaurant passed the test, critical violations can mean very dangerous foodbourne illnesses. Chef Candace Nicholson says,”Some of these are life-threathening illnesses and a lot of times they can be prevented by the simple knowledge of the prevention.”

Critical violations can range from reheating food improperly to separating and protecting food improperly. Who is violating regulations may surprise you. Health code violations can happen where you least expect them. In fact, two UGA dining halls, ECV and O-House, have recently gotten violations. ECV and O-House did not fail their inspection, but did receive critical violations.

Chef Candace recommends checking health scores and specifically why a restaurant had points deducted because “sometimes the scores can be knocked down a little bit simply just by a lid being off something.” One UGA student, Jeremiah Clark, says he reconsiders eating at restaurants with a score lower than an A.

In the food industry, the biggest sanitary problems are generally with chicken and shellfish.

You can find a complete list of restaurant scores in athens by visiting publichealthathens.com

Reporter: Laura Dunlap