The purpose of the Food and Lodging section is to educate and protect the public's health and well being. Health Inspectors visit food and lodging establishments to enforce state and local government regulations. It is the responsibility of this unit to inform establishments about state regulations and motivate them to meet set standards in the interest of public health.
The food and lodging section administers eighteen State regulated programs: restaurants, food stands, push carts, school lunchrooms, limited food stands, lodging, summer camps, bed and breakfast homes, bed and breakfast inns, meat markets, nursing homes, child day care, school buildings, local confinements, elderly nutrition site, residential facility, swimming pools and tattoo parlors. On a local level, this department regulates seafood markets.
Inspections of these establishments range from once a year to once a quarter, whichever the State requirement is. Any establishment that prepares food or provides sleeping facilities receives a grade card after the inspection has been completed. The card will show a numerical grade along with the corresponding letter. This grade card should be visible upon entering the establishment and is to remain in public view at all times.
Before any establishment can be permitted, an application and plans have to be submitted to this section. The environmental health specialist conducts a "plan review" then makes suggestions to the applicant on concerns and recommendations.
RESTAURANTS
When inspecting a restaurant, an Environmental Health specialist looks closely at many details. Restaurants are required to follow and meet many guidelines in the interest of making dining out safer and more enjoyable. All food must come from an approved source. It must be handled properly from the time it leaves the delivery vehicle to the time it is served. Food must be kept at proper temperatures during receiving, storage, preparation, and cooking. It must never be reserved.
The kitchen, dining area, and lavatories must be in good repair. The kitchen, including utensils such as pots, silverware, plates, and cutting boards, must be clean and sanitized properly. Water must come from an approved and pressurized source. Required temperatures must be met.
Personnel must practice good hygiene, including proper hand washing habits and clean clothing. They should not work while ill.
Lodging establishments are inspected one time per year. The premises must be clean and in good repair. Special attention is paid to water temperatures, laundry rooms, and ice machines. Hotels and motels may serve prepackaged food, such as donuts and bagels. To serve other meals they must obtain the proper permit. Bed & Breakfast Inns, which sleep between nine and twenty-three persons, and Bed & breakfast Homes which sleep eight persons or less, are permitted to serve breakfasts only.
