Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • May 16, 2019
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

To Improve Food Inspections, Change the Way They're Scheduled

By: Maria Ibanez and Michael W. Toffel
  • Format:Electronic
ShareBar

Abstract

Health inspections are an important tool to increase food safety, but there are still 48 million cases of food-borne illnesses and 128,000 hospitalizations every year in the United States. Our research finds that inspectors reported fewer health code violations as they conducted subsequent inspections throughout the day, and even fewer violations at inspections that risked prolonging their work day. Also, inspectors reported more code violations when the previous establishment the inspector visited had many violations. Based on these patterns, we propose scheduling adjustments that would increase inspectors’ scrutiny and significantly reduce food-borne illnesses and hospitalizations.

Keywords

Inspection; Scheduling; Food; Safety; Health; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Performance Improvement

Citation

Ibanez, Maria, and Michael W. Toffel. "To Improve Food Inspections, Change the Way They're Scheduled." Harvard Business Review (website) (May 16, 2019).
  • Read Now

About The Author

Michael W. Toffel

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • August 2023 (Revised September 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    Power-to-X

    By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Kelsey Carter
    • August 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Arla Foods: Data-Driven Decarbonization (A)

    By: Michael Parzen, Michael W. Toffel, Amram Migdal and Susan Pinckney
    • August 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Arla Foods: Data-Driven Decarbonization (A)

    By: Michael Parzen, Michael W. Toffel, Susan Pinckney and Amram Migdal
More from the Authors
  • Power-to-X By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Kelsey Carter
  • Arla Foods: Data-Driven Decarbonization (A) By: Michael Parzen, Michael W. Toffel, Amram Migdal and Susan Pinckney
  • Arla Foods: Data-Driven Decarbonization (A) By: Michael Parzen, Michael W. Toffel, Susan Pinckney and Amram Migdal
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College