All food establishments that sell or serve food to the public must be licensed and inspected, including permanent and mobile establishments, and temporary food vendors at community events. In Grant County, there are over 650 annually licensed retail food establishments, including restaurants, food trucks/trailers, espresso stands, grocery stores, convenient stores, delis, school cafeterias!
New food establishments are inspected at least once before opening in a pre-opening inspection. After an establishment is permitted, they are inspected at least once every 18 months and most are inspected 1-2 times a year. How often a food establishment is inspected depends on the risk level of the foods they sell and serve.
“Blue violations” are the lower risk items such as cleaning and maintenance of the equipment and facilities. This could include things like not having the sanitizer mixed correctly, floors that need to be cleaned, or evidence of rodents or insects.
Each violation the inspector observes is recorded on the inspection report and assigned a pre-determined point value. The inspection “score” is the total of all violation points found during the inspection. A perfect inspection is zero points. The total of “red violation” points determines whether a food establishment needs a reinspection or not. The inspection will also say if a reinspection is required.
- No water supply
- No hot water
- No electricity
- Sewage backing up into the establishment
- A fire
- The establishment is suspected to be the source of an ongoing foodborne illness outbreak
If you have any questions or concerns about food establishments or their inspections, please contact us at (509) 766-7960, email foodsafety@granthealth.org or fill out our online form by clicking here.