Allegheny County 2022 Highlights Report

Food Inspections The Food Safety Program monitors and regulates approximately 8,200 permanent food businesses across Allegheny County. Establishments covered by the program include restaurants, retail markets, food processing facilities, caterers, warehouses, mobile vendors, festivals, farmers markets, school cafeterias, and nursing homes. The ACHD’s food safety efforts include both conducting comprehensive inspections and investigating consumer complaints. In 2022, the Food Safety Program performed 6,569 inspections of food facilities and operations. The food industry, primarily restaurants, was hit hard by the pandemic. But, even before the pandemic, the number of new food facility openings plateaued at approximately 475 a year. However, in 2021 and 2022, the Food Safety Program saw a resurgence in the number of new food facilities requesting a permit. In 2022, 595 new food facilities were inspected and permitted.

New Food Facilities Opened and Inspected

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

683

678

662

609

596

595

519

Additionally, in 2022, the ACHD worked with the Board of Health to repeal and replace Article III, which regulates food handling and safety in the county. The new regulations, which took effect on January 1, 2023, make it easier for food facilities and operations to understand and apply the rules governing food safety. Since the approval of the new regulation in May 2022 by the County Executive and County Council, the Food Safety Program has conducted extensive educational outreach to permitted facilities.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT After having to limit community engagement efforts in 2020 and 2021 due to public health guidance discouraging in-person events, the ACHD returned with a full slate of engagement activities for 2022. Many of these activities came in the form of community presentations and tabling at events. In total, ACHD staff participated in more than 400 community events in 2022. Overdose Prevention Overdose Prevention staff conducted 116 trainings attended by 3,201 Overdose Prevention Training Events and People Trained

individuals on how to respond to an overdose, including how to administer naloxone (Narcan). Staff also participated in 134 events where naloxone was distributed. A total of 19,675 kits were distributed at venues ranging from Millvale Pride to foot outreach in downtown Pittsburgh to the Pitt Healthy U Fair.

100 120 140

1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500

3,991

3,470

3,201

2,965

2,203

0 20 40 60 80

1,001

120

116

96

75

290

38

0 500

30

10

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Overdose Prevention/Naloxone Administration TrainingsorEvents

People Trained Through Outreach

12

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