Dutchess County restaurant inspections: How safe is your favorite place to eat?

Dutchess County restaurant inspection records show 17 food establishments received five or more violations in April, according to the most recent data released by New York state.

A diner in Poughkeepsie had 11 non-critical violations and six critical violations in April, including using shellfish that was not from approved sources or was improperly labeled, food not being properly refrigerated, potentially contaminated surfaces and improper food protection.

Several other restaurants were cited for not keeping food properly refrigerated and improper use or labeling of potentially toxic chemicals where food is prepared. In many cases, follow-up visits to the restaurants showed no violations.

Inspection reports are public documents, and the online database at data.poughkeepsiejournal.com has the results of inspections in Poughkeepsie and across New York. Readers can see when a facility was last inspected and get a summary of the violations inspectors found.

The database can be searched by county, or type in a name or address to find records for a specific restaurant.

Explore: NY statewide database of restaurant inspections

Each report is a snapshot in time, reflecting observations from a single day when inspectors were in the restaurant.

Keep in mind the world of restaurant inspections is fluid. Your favorite eatery might have received a handful of violations and then quickly cleaned up and passed the next inspection with none. A clean slate in one report also doesn't mean problems can't arise later.

Many problems can often be traced to food service employees who either ignore standard operating procedures or show up ill and pass on food-borne illnesses.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Poughkeepsie restaurant inspections: How safe is your favorite place?