Environmental Health: Partnering Against the Norovirus

Did you ever stop to consider the safety of the food you eat? Although America enjoys one of the safest food supplies in the world, 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 Americans die each year from food-related illnesses. With over 200 known diseases transmitted through food, who is responsible for protecting the public in Washtenaw County from food borne illnesses, making sure that your next dining experience is a safe one?

Grace Singleton knows that answer. She’s the managing partner of Zingerman’s, one of Ann Arbor’s most popular and well-respected dining establishments. With a national reputation for high quality products and service, Grace and her staff work closely with members of the Washtenaw County Environmental Health team to ensure that excellent standing. “We have always enjoyed a fantastic relationship with members of the Environmental Health team,” she says. “I would characterize it as a partnership.”

In February 2006—with heightening levels of the very contagious Norovirus circulating around the state—Grace put this partnership to the test. Environmental Health Team Manager Kristen Schweighoefer remembers the call she received from Grace, who sought her advice about a potentially troubling situation.

“Employees started calling in sick, reporting 24-hour bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. The Zingerman’s management staff was very concerned that they might be doing something that was making their employees sick,” Kristen recalls. “We immediately sent one of our sanitarians, Charles Yet, to inspect the restaurant.  Charles worked with the Zingerman’s staff and management team to institute Norovirus guidelines, which limited the spread of illness. Working together to solve the problem meant that, thankfully, very few people became ill.”

The outbreak could have been worse, but it was the confidence that comes with well- informed and trusting customers that made the difference.

“We’re very committed to making sure that we’re always doing the right thing,” says Grace. “In the restaurant business you can pay lots and lots of money for advertising, but the word of mouth is what brings you the business. The best quality food we have means nothing if people get sick. I think if we had waited a day or two to contact them, it wouldn’t have turned out the same way.”

Another positive aspect of the experience, says Kristen, is that after reading about Zingerman’s situation in the local media, “several other businesses contacted us and commented that they wouldn’t have thought of using us as a resource—but they will now.”