COVID-19 Regulatory Impact Analyses

Oct 28, 2022
In the latest installment, we observe that health inspectors have increased their focus on certain types of violations, most notably those that require having food safety certified and trained staff present.

Feb 17, 2022
As of January 31, 2022, we observe that inspection enforcement behavior is nearly back to normal, with average violations cited per inspection at about 93% of pre-pandemic levels.

Jul 28, 2021
As of June 30, 2021, we observe that the percentage of inspections related to COVID-19 is starting to trend down from its peak pandemic level. At the same time, weekly inspection volumes have gradually increased and remained steady, though still below pre-COVID levels.

Mar 31, 2021
We identify the top 5 food code violations that inspectors have heightened focus on over the course of the pandemic, and track the recovery status of average violations per inspection (total and critical) following the initial drastic drop from the start of the pandemic.

Nov 16, 2020
We compare and contrast the impact and recovery of facilities based on chain size (large chains, small chains, and independent facilities).

Oct 13, 2020
We observe a near-full recovery in the average of number violations per inspection after hitting a record low in April 2020.

Aug 24, 2020
In this sixth installment, we observe another surge in consumer complaints and share some specific complaints verbatim.

Jul 22, 2020
We observe an increase in hygiene and sanitation related violations, and identify six jurisdictions with 100%+ increases in consumer complaints.

Jun 12, 2020
Approximately three months after the emergence of the pandemic in the US, inspection volumes begin to rebound and slowly increase after bottoming out.

May 13, 2020
We see a spike in inspections related to COVID-19 compliance and see a drastic increase in consumer complaints.

Apr 10, 2020
We continue to observe a drastic reduction in inspection volumes, with some jurisdictions reporting no inspections at all.

Mar 21, 2020
In this first installment, we observe an initial drop in both inspection and violation volumes due to the pandemic, and look at trends in handwashing violations.