Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine whether food establishments in Boston, Massachusetts, were in violation of the Food and Drug Administration Food Code and the Massachusetts State Sanitary Code. For this study, food establishments from the City of Boston's online Mayor's Food Court database were randomly sampled. Data for 2009 inspections were collected for type and frequency of violations, inspection follow-up results and the specific Food Code violated for any failed foodborne violation. In a sample of 238 establishments, statistical significance was determined among establishment and violation type (P = .038). This study supports the need for routine inspections and suggests that to ensure a safe and sanitary food environment, the latest edition of the Food and Drug Administration Food Code should be used and an inspection scoring system should be adopted. Transparency of food sanitation inspections would help patrons and decrease the potential for illness related to foodborne outbreaks.