Last week we explored the science behind personal hygiene and food safety and this week we turn our focus to health inspections.
Health inspections play a vital role in upholding retail food safety standards, but there are more than a few misconceptions about what inspections entail and how violations factor into a restaurant’s success. To help crack the code for this critical food safety process, let’s go over some of the most common questions restaurant workers have regarding health inspections:
1. What does the health inspection process look like?
Authorized food safety inspectors may enter food establishments unannounced at any reasonable time, on any given day of operation to conduct routine health inspections, follow up on a health code violation, perform a pre-operational assessment, or check on certification status.
During a health inspection, the inspector will fill out a designated checklist consisting of standard categories related to their state’s Food Code. Most checklists will cover these critical food safety categories:
- Employee hygiene
- Food time and temperature controls
- Food storage
- Food preparation
- Kitchen cleaning and sanitation
- Utensil maintenance and storage
- Chemical storage
- Water, plumbing, and waste
- General facility set up
- Pest control
- Compliance and regulations
To get an accurate understanding of the state of a food establishment, inspectors may ask questions, take measurements, record temperatures, read labels, or check equipment during an inspection.
Once an inspection is complete, the health inspector will compile a detailed report, usually posted online within 24 hours—7 days from the inspection.
2. How often do health inspections occur?
The frequency of health inspections varies based on the complexity of the food service operation, as well as the reason for the inspection, but most routine inspections occur once every 6 months or 1-3 times per year.3. What do health inspectors look for?
While health inspection checklists vary from state to state, most inspectors will cover these critical food safety categories:
- Employee hygiene
- Food time and temperature controls
- Food storage
- Food preparation
- Kitchen cleaning and sanitation
- Utensil maintenance and storage
- Chemical storage
- Water, plumbing, and waste
- General facility set up
- Pest control
- Compliance and regulations
- Approved chemicals and proper concentrations
4. What is a health code violation?
Health code violations for food establishments are notices given by an authorized food inspector for non-compliance with important food safety regulations. There are three main categories of health code violationsin Florida: basic, intermediate, and high prioriy violations. Inspectors will indiciate when violations must be corrected and when they will return to ensure compliance.
5. What are the most common health code violations?
Some of the most common health code violations include:
- Food storage
- Food time and temperature
- Cross-contamination
- Personal hygiene
- Kitchen sanitation
6. What happens if you don’t pass a health inspection?
Additional DBPR Food Safety and Sanitation Inspection Information (“Health Inspection”) can be found here and here.
Cracking the Code to Food Safety
Join us next week when we close out NFSM 2023 with what might be the most essential food safety topic—how to build a culture of food safety in your operation. Plus, catch up on all the topics we covered this month and access food safety checklists, eBooks, posters, and other NFSM 2023 printable content.