Health Department use various inspection criteria as well as a wide array of terminology depending on the state. However, every state bases its inspection criteria on some version of the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code which lays out basic requirements for retail food establishments. Each local jurisdiction is also able to implement its own unique inspection criteria. A similar system is employed in Canada, governed by the Ministry of Health.
Articles in this section
- How does inspection criteria vary across Health Departments?
- Why do re-inspections occur?
- How often do Health Departments conduct routine inspections?
- What are the reasons or occasions that a Health Department inspects a facility?
- What causes a facility closure by a Health Department?
- Why don't all Health Departments assign a grade to their inspections?
- What facilities do Health Departments inspect?
- What does the "jurisdiction" refer to?
- What are critical violations?
- What is a consumer complaint?