Food and Living Environment Section > Food Protection Program > Food Safety Inspection
The Food Program inspects over 2,900 permanent, permitted facilities, 200 school kitchens, and 750 temporary food booths
operating at fairs and community events. In addition to routine health inspections, the Food Program also reviews plans and
inspects construction of food establishments, investigates complaints of foodborne illness and unsanitary conditions, provides
food worker card classes and issues food worker cards.
Inspection Process
Inspecting food establishments is one of the main tasks for the Food and Living Environment Section. Performing routine inspections
of restaurants, grocery stores, delicatessens, school kitchens and temporary events, helps to assure the public will receive safe
food and beverages. The inspection process is extremely important. An inspector must look at every aspect of the establishment
from the ceiling to the floor and everything in between. The regulations for food establishments are divided into two categories,
there are the "Red" or critical items and "Blue" less critical items.
Red items, when out of compliance, have the greatest potential to cause illness or harm to the public.
Blue items have less potential to cause harm, however, they are still important.
Examples of Red Critical items include, food worker cards current for all food workers, hands washed
as required, raw meats below or away from "RTE" ready to eat foods, proper cooling procedures, proper hot holding procedures,
no room temperature storage, etc…
Examples of Blue Critical items include, food received at proper temperature, food properly labeled,
plumbing properly sized, installed, and maintained, adequate ventilation and lighting, wiping cloths properly used, stored, etc…
A Typical Inspection
To get a better understanding of what actually happens during an inspection, we will take you step by step through a typical
restaurant inspection. Before we begin, here is the equipment the inspector will be using for the inspection:
The restaurant's file
Inspection report sheets
A white lab coat
Thermocouple (probe thermometer) with alcohol wipes
Digital Thermometer (as a back-up to the thermocouple)
PH test strips
Chlorine test strips
Quat (a type of sanitizer) test strips
A flash light (to look in dark crevices)
Food establishment/Food worker hand-outs
Now we are ready to begin.
The inspector walks into the establishment and introduces himself or herself to the manager or PIC (person in charge.)
On into the kitchen, the inspector will set his or her belongings down, put on their white lab coat and gather their
equipment (from list above.)
Next, the inspector will find the hand sink and thoroughly wash his or her hands; we must always set a good example.
The inspector may now begin. He or she may take some time to look at the overall layout and work flow of the kitchen. Observation
is a key part in inspecting.
On to the receiving area and dry food storage. Always be sure to look for any rodent or insect activity.
*Note: Dry goods should be placed properly on shelves as to avoid any contamination by rodents.
Next is the refrigerator. Most large restaurants have walk-in refrigerators. The inspector will look to make sure
that no raw meat products are above any produce or ready to eat foods (RTE.) Also, the inspector will use the thermocouple
to take temperatures of various food items, and the overall temperature of the refrigerator.
*Note: Always look for properly labeled containers/food items explaining what is in them and what date they will be discarded.
The inspector will be sure to observe what types of pans the restaurant is cooling leftover food in and their overall procedure for cooling.
*Note: Proper cooling procedure is to place the food item in a two inch depth pan, place in refrigerator uncovered. Check food
item temperature with a thermometer to verify it has reached 41°F or less and then put cover on.
After the refrigerator, the inspector will move onto the freezer. Here items should be contained properly and the temperature
should approximately be 10°F.
If the restaurant has a specified food preparation area, the inspector will observe to make sure there is no cross-contamination
happening, also that designated sinks (vegetable prep) are being used only for that purpose. Watching also for frequent hand washing
and glove use is critical.
Moving onto the cooking area, the inspector will begin to take temperatures of hot-holding items and/or cold holding items
if applicable to the establishment. Hot holding items may include soups or types of meats. Cold holding may be a type of
sandwich bar with different deli meats and cheeses or cooked meats, which are refrigerated and stored until ready to use. In
the cooking area, the inspector may take temperatures of cooking foods, perhaps hamburgers or pieces of chicken. After taking
temperatures, the inspector again will observe the workflow of the cooking area, being sure to watch for no bare-hand contact
on ready to eat foods and proper hand washing.
*Note: Temperatures for hot holding are above 140°F, temperatures for cold holding are below 41°F.
After taking temperatures, the inspector will move to the dishwashing area. Restaurants are able to have a dishwasher or
a three-compartment sink, which has designated areas for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing. If the establishment has a dishwasher,
the inspector will run the dishwasher through one cycle and test the water with one of the sanitizing strips to see if the
dishwasher is working properly. If the restaurant does not have a dishwasher, only a three-compartment sink, the inspector will
verify the restaurant is using the sink properly. The inspector may also test the sanitize buckets; these buckets are used to
wipe down equipment, and tables in the seating area.
The last areas to check are the restrooms and the garbage area. Each restroom (men and women's) should have hot water, cold water,
soap and paper towels. The garbage or dumpster should not be leaking and have a tight fighting lid. The area around it should be rather
clean with no excessive amounts of food or other garbage on the ground.
Finally, the inspector will head back inside to write up the inspection report. Before writing the report, the inspector will
ask for a menu. The purpose is to make sure the restaurant has a "consumer advisory" if needed.
*Note: A "consumer advisory" is required for establishments that serve foods (i.e. meat, eggs) raw or undercooked at the
customer's request.
After thoroughly reviewing the menu the inspector will complete the inspection report being sure to write any violations, problems,
or comments needed. This is also for the operator's advantage to see exactly what areas they need to improve. The inspector
may give the operator handouts to help with making corrections, and if needed schedule a follow-up inspection. Snohomish
Health District believes in educating the community and thus works with operators to create a safer food establishment
for the public.
