Tucson Metro Chamber’s Restaurant Advisory Council discusses future of restaurant industry in Pima County

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TUCSON (KVOA) – The Tucson Metro Chamber’s Tucson Restaurant Advisory Council (TRAC) met with the Department of Consumer Health and Food Safety of the Pima County’s Department of Health to discuss news within the department and ways to work together to serve all stakeholders in the county help robust culinary scene. The Ministry of Health is working hand-in-hand with restaurants during the pandemic and began issuing inspection ratings for “Education” in March 2020. This program will continue temporarily, it said in a press release on Thursday. Although all inspections are now classified as educational, the inspectors are still documenting the non-compliance and looking for corrective actions during the inspection.

Loni Anderson, Pima County’s Health Department Director, said, “The Pima County Health Department values ​​the collaborative spirit of TRAC and looks forward to continuing to work with them and other industry advisory groups to develop new operating practices that benefit the living dining experience Municipality of Pima County. We believe it is important to work with our licensees and continuously evaluate practices and procedures to determine what works best for everyone. “

Established at the beginning of the pandemic, TRAC is a committee of the chamber chaired by a coalition of restaurants and related industries working with restaurants to address issues that are important to the success of restaurants and eateries in Tucson.

TRAC Chairman Ray Flores of Si Charro restaurant brand said, “TRAC values ​​the opportunity to create a path for more open dialogue with the Pima County Health Department. Our culinary industry is vital to the business climate of our community, and ensuring its continued health and growth is a shared mission between TRAC and the Department of Health. Working together to protect our food city is the best way to ensure the industry can recover and thrive after the pandemic. “

Some of the topics discussed during the recent meeting between TRAC and the Pima County Health Department included:

1. Pima County will continue to use education assessment on a temporary basis to help license holders resolve issues identified during the inspection and to reduce additional hardship caused by operating during the pandemic.

2. Pima County will continue to offer the ServSafe Food Handler Certificate Program for free. This industry-leading program helps restaurant workers learn about basic food safety, personal hygiene, cross-contamination and allergens, time and temperature control, and cleaning and disinfection.

3. Pima County will continue to work to improve communications between the health department and licensees and ensure timely communication of changing policies.

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