Nov. 20--IF DINING OUT, do you care how clean the restaurant keeps its kitchen?

You should.

Your health could be at stake if food is poorly stored, improperly prepared or otherwise contaminated on the way to your plate.

So it should be comforting to learn, as pointed out in a two-part series published earlier this week in The Times Leader, that the state Department of Agriculture continues to make strides in uniformly compiling and making public its inspection reports. You can access the latest reports on many Luzerne County fast-food joints, fine-dining establishments and other eateries at the department's Web site.

Trouble is, the county still remains fragmented when it comes to food safety. State inspectors cover the bulk of the 76-municipality territory, but in some communities local government workers perform the yearly spot-checks. And while all the information is public, it sometimes doesn't get passed to the state for public consumption via its Web site.

These glitches make the system unfair. Why should certain food-service businesses be subject to public scrutiny at the stroke of a few computer keys while others fall below the radar?

Until the information is presented evenly, consumers won't get a clear picture of their eating options. Fortunately, the Department of Agriculture began two years ago to egg on more municipal cooperation and its efforts are paying off.

Kingston officials decided they will hand over inspection responsibilities to the state as of Jan. 1. Places such as Dupont, Plymouth and West Pittston are mulling a similar move.

Perhaps the switch isn't right for every borough and township, some of which might find it more cost-effective to keep their crews combing through area doughnut shops and diners for health hazards. At the very least, however, all 76 municipalities should provide standard reports to the state so that curious consumers can keep tabs on their favorite dining spots.

The department, meanwhile, could simplify the hunt for information by adopting a simplified Web address. Until then, inspection reports can be found by going to this site: www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=137994.

Don't be concerned if you discover that a restaurant's inspection report includes a couple violations, or even lots of low-level ones that can be easily fixed and don't pose an immediate risk; that's not uncommon. After all, have you rooted around your own refrigerator lately?

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