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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]