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Food Safety Inspections

What do Public Health Inspectors do?

Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties routinely visit food premises to:

  • conduct routine inspections
  • do re-inspections; and
  • follow-up on complaints and suspected foodborne illnesses.

The premises visited include: restaurants, grocery stores, school cafeterias, farmers’ markets, chip trucks, farm gate sales, hospital kitchens, retirement and long term care homes, and daycare centre kitchens, to mention a few.

What happens during a public health inspection?

During inspections, PHIs look at:

  • food storage temperatures, hot and cold
  • cooking, reheating and cooling times and temperatures of food
  • personal hygiene of employees, including good hand hygiene
  • food production methods and procedures
  • flow of food through receiving, storage, preparation, and service
  • dish and equipment washing and sanitizing procedures
  • food sources
  • pest control
  • methods of garbage collection, holding and disposal
  • cleanliness of floors, walls, ceilings, equipment and other surfaces
  • if staff hold a Food Handler Training Certificate.

Annual risk assessments are completed at every food premises in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties. During the risk assessment, PHIs consider:

  • the types of food sold
  • how food is prepared
  • the population served
  • the compliance record of the food premises
  • the premises’ history regarding foodborne illnesses.

The risk assessment will determine if the establishment is high, moderate or low risk. The number of routine inspections a premises receives each year is based on this risk rating:

  • a high-risk restaurant will be inspected once every four months
  • a moderate-risk restaurant will be inspected once every six months
  • a low-risk premises, like a convenience store, will be inspected once every 12 months.

Copies of inspection reports are available from the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit. Please complete the following form to submit your request.

Request an Inspection Report

Note: Requests will be processed within 3-5 business days. For further inquiries, please contact the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit’s Environmental Health Team by e-mail: [email protected]