New York grocery store inspection reports have revealed hundreds of food safety violations at supermarkets, delis, bodegas and other food-related businesses across Rockland County.
Details of each violation, spanning from food stored at unsafe temperatures to issues with rodents, are now at your fingertips via a new searchable database launched by USA TODAY Network-New York at data.lohud.com. You can check inspection grades for every store in New York over the past three years.
The reporting builds upon our long-standing and ongoing effort focused on informing New Yorkers about results of restaurant inspections.
How to find grocery inspection reports in NY
Our new database allows users to search for grocery inspections by county, store chain name, or address. The results include food safety grades, as well as the inspection reports that include specific explanations for each violation.
Nearly one out of every four of the 22,000 grocery stores, food warehouses, delis and bodegas inspected in New York got failing grades in 2024 for dirty meat grinders, food too hot or too cold, rodents, vermin and other critical food safety violations.
More: Meet NY’s Food Lab team that keeps you from getting sick when you eat
And some 2.5 million pounds of food was seized after state inspectors determined it wasn’t suitable for public consumption, USA TODAY Network has reported.
The statistics are culled from the work of dozens of inspectors from New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets who fan out across the state each day for surprise visits at retail stores that carry cheese, dairy and meat products.
What we know about NY grocery store inspections
Those sites that don’t pass are giving failing grades of B or C, which they must post in a conspicuous location at the facility. B’s mean critical deficiencies were found — perhaps employees not washing their hands correctly or food not stored at safe temperatures — and can be corrected at the time of the inspection.
Getting a C means inspectors will be back at the site within 60 to 90 days unannounced for a surprise follow-up.
Includes reporting by Thomas C. Zambito and data analysis by Erik Gliedman of USA TODAY Network-New York
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: How safe are Rockland County grocery stores? See NY inspection grades
Reporting by David Robinson, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
