After a routine inspection, only 10 restaurants were closed due to non-compliance with safety regulations and 116 restaurants received food safety alerts for less…
Since 2019, at least 63 Champaign-Urbana restaurants have failed and 19 have been temporarily closed down by public health officials under a new restaurant inspection system launched that year.
Eastern Illinois Foodbank
The nonprofit organization Feeding America has projected Champaign County’s food insecurity rate to increase by 31% by the end of 2020 in comparison to data collected in 2018. Feeding America is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies.
Naomi Diaz
Pre-pandemic, Eastern Illinois Foodbank provided food and grocery products to 100,000 people in 18 different Eastern counties in Illinois. Today, they project the number of those in need to increase by 63,000. The foodbank expects the second wave of COVID-19 will continue to increase the need for “emergency food,” and they are preparing for just that.
Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess
Overall, public health officials failed or closed 19 restaurants, grocery stores or eateries for health code violations between October 1 and March 31, according to a review of inspection records from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Starting July 1, inspections will change.
AP
A moldy ice chute, food preparation areas with pesticides stored above them and storage coolers occupied by houseflies and moths were among the worst violations leading to closures and failures of eateries across the county since July. In total, 18 establishments were closed or failed inspections for serious health code violations between July 1 and Sept. 30, according to a review of inspection records.
Health inspectors shut down the cafeteria at Presence Covenant Medical Center, 1400 W. Park St., Urbana, on May 10 after they noted a repeated critical violation – sewage wastewater backing up from the floor drain underneath a hand sink into the grill area.
Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Sewage wastewater backup, cockroach infestation and houseflies “too numerous to count” were among the violations leading to closures and failures of eateries across the county since April. In total, 20 establishments were cited for serious or critical health code violations between April 1 and June 30, according to a review of inspection records.
Health officials shut down the food facility at The Champaign Country Club this month after inspectors found more than two dozen violations. The club received an adjusted score of negative 6 during the routine inspection on May 11 and was immediately closed, according to Champaign-Urbana Public Health District records. In its previous inspection on Dec. 9, the club was allowed to stay open with a score of 1, though it failed after an inspector cited it for seven critical violations and 24 non-critical violations.