Vital Restaurant Inspection Information
What You Need to Prepare for & Survive an Inspection
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the FSIS upholds public health by supervising and regulating food safety. Restaurants and other businesses that serve food to the public are regularly inspected to ensure that they are using safe food handling, adequate commercial refrigeration, adequate cooking temperatures, and sanitary food storing procedures.
There are different procedures for inspecting restaurants, and they vary depending on the type of inspection being performed. The frequency of inspections is determined by local laws. Inspections look for practices such as handwashing, raw meat handling, and the presence of pests to determine where the food is at risk for contamination and cross-contamination.
Restaurant inspectors use inspection reports to note the conditions in each restaurant. The reports include sections such as Proper Use of Utensils, Employee Health, Preventing Contamination by Hands, and Potentially Hazardous Food Time/Temperature for which the restaurant is given points.
The inspection reporting system includes two sections: Red critical violations are practices of handling food that greatly increase the risk of foodborne illness, when not followed properly. The Blue violations refer to sanitation and maintenance, and measure practices that are far less likely to cause foodborne illness. The San Francisco Department of Public Health explains that restaurants are given a ranking of high, moderate, or low risk after an inspection. Letter grades of A, B, and C are assigned to restaurants based on sanitation and food safety practices.
The following resources explain the process of scoring and grading restaurants during health inspections:
Inspection Information Chapters
- Inspection Procedures
- Inspection Policy Documents
- How Restaurants Are Scored and Graded
- Restaurant Alerts
- Smoke-free Air Act Information for Business Owners & Employers
- Food Safety & Sanitation Resources
- Restaurant Inspection Awards
- Other Relevant Laws & Legislation
- Relevant National Updates
- Miscellaneous Relevant Resources Not Included Elsewhere
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the FSIS upholds public health by supervising and regulating food safety. Restaurants and other businesses that serve food to the public are regularly inspected to ensure that they are using safe food handling, adequate commercial refrigeration, adequate cooking temperatures, and sanitary food storing procedures.
Inspection Procedures
There are different procedures for inspecting restaurants, and they vary depending on the type of inspection being performed. The frequency of inspections is determined by local laws. Inspections look for practices such as handwashing, raw meat handling, and the presence of pests to determine where the food is at risk for contamination and cross-contamination.
Types of Restaurant & Food Inspections:
- Routine Inspection according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information
- Follow-up Inspection according to the National Restaurant Association
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Inspection according to PBS
- Foodborne Illness Investigation according to Mass.gov
- Process Review Inspection according to Columbus Public Health Food Protection Program
- Complaint Inspection according to the U.S. Department of Labor
Other Resources on Food & Restaurant Inspection Procedures:
- NYC.gov's What to Expect When You're Inspected
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration Procedures for Standardization of Retail Food Safety Inspection Officers
- Restaurant and Foodservice Licensing and Inspections
Inspection Policy Documents
Restaurant inspectors use inspection reports to note the conditions in each restaurant. The reports include sections such as Proper Use of Utensils, Employee Health, Preventing Contamination by Hands, and Potentially Hazardous Food Time/Temperature for which the restaurant is given points.
- Ohio Department of Agriculture/Ohio Department of Health's Inspection Report
- Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Inspection Report
- Dekalbhealth.net's Restaurant Inspection Report
- NYC.gov's Food Service Establishment Pre-Operational Consultation or Inspection Request
- Federal Register's Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food
- Charmeck.org's Food Establishment Inspection Report
- Food Service Management Inspection Checklist
- Restaurant Self-inspection Checklist
- San Bernardino County Self-inspection Checklist
- San Diego Health Reports Retail Food Facility Operator's Guide
- Respro Health Inspection Checklist
How Restaurants Are Scored & Graded
The inspection reporting system includes two sections: Red critical violations are practices of handling food that greatly increase the risk of foodborne illness, when not followed properly. The Blue violations refer to sanitation and maintenance, and measure practices that are far less likely to cause foodborne illness. The San Francisco Department of Public Health explains that restaurants are given a ranking of high, moderate, or low risk after an inspection. Letter grades of A, B, and C are assigned to restaurants based on sanitation and food safety practices.
The following resources explain the process of scoring and grading restaurants during health inspections:
- Vermont Department of Health: Food and Lodging Program Inspection Report - the Scoring Process
- NYC.gov: How We Score and Grade
- Alabama Department of Public Health: Food Establishment Scores
- L.A. County Department of Public Health: Facility Rating
- Wikipedia
- Riverside County Department of Environmental Health: Restaurant Grading
- County of San Diego: Food Inspection Grade Card System
- South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control: What Ratings Mean
Restaurant Alerts
Restaurant alerts may be posted about restaurants that are found to be particularly unsanitary, or their food practices unsafe, to diners. Below is a list of resources that consumers can check for updates and alerts on restaurant food recalls and closures:Smoke-free Air Act Information for Business Owners & Employers
The Smoke-free Air Act, established in 2006, essentially bans smoking in all public dining facilities and in many other public areas such as office buildings, doctors' offices, and concert venues. Exceptions to the law include casinos, cigar bars, and designated motel and hotel rooms.Laws & Legislation Regarding the Smoke-free Air Act:
- New Jersey Department of Health: Smoke-free Air Act Initiative
- Iowa Smoke-free Air Act
- NYCsmokefree.org: Existing Legislation
- Louisiana Smoke-free Air Act
- Michigan's Smoke-free Air Law
Helpful Websites & Resources for Business Owners and Employers:
- Smoke-free Air Act Initiative "Smoking" and "No Smoking" Official Signs
- Forms for the Smoke-free Air Act Initiative
- NYC.gov Smoke-free Air Act Information
- Compliance with the New York City Smoke-free Air Act
- Restaurant Employment Before and After the Smoke-free Air Act
Food Safety & Sanitation Resources
- Food and Drug Administration Food Safety and Inspection Guides
- Alaska Food Safety and Sanitation Program
- Partnership for Food Safety Education
- West Virginia Food Safety and Sanitation Program
- Minnesota Department of Education Food Safety and Sanitation
- The National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging: Food Safety Primer
- Food Safety and Sanitation for Food Manufacturers, Online Course on Food Science at Penn State University
- Cook County Department of Public Health: Food Safety Resources
- National Food Service Management: Chapter 8 on Food Safety and Sanitation
- ServSafe Food Safety Program for Managers
- About Food Safety Sanitation Management from eHow
Restaurant Inspection Awards
Restaurants can qualify for an Award of Excellence in Food Safety by achieving a certain criteria for safety within a set period of time. The criteria include having no major health violations, passing at least three unannounced routine health inspections, and possessing a current Environmental Health permit. Below is a compilation of counties and states that have published the winners of such an award.- Sacramento County's Awards of Excellence in Food Safety
- Tulare County Excellence in Safe Food Handling Awards
- Orange County Award of Excellence Food Inspection Program
- International Association for Food Protection Awards
- State of Delaware Governor's Award for Excellence in Food Safety
- Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association Excellence in Food Safety Awards
Other Relevant Laws & Legislation
Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906:
Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957:
Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970:
Relevant National Updates
The FSIS posts the most recent regulations, directives, and notices to keep citizens abreast of developments in food-related regulations. In 2014, the following FSIS notices and directives have been submitted.Sampling of FSIS notices issued in 2016:
Sampling of FSIS directives issued in 2016:
Many counties will include on their local government website a search function that lets locals view restaurants' inspection grades and their full reports.- Placer County Health and Human Services Restaurant Inspection Search
- Tacoma/Pierce County Food Inspection Reports
- Contra Costa Health Services Food Inspection Search
- City of Boston Division of Health Inspections Mayor's Food Court Establishment Search
- State of California: Restaurant Inspections by County
- Florida Department of Business Professional Regulations Food and Lodging Inspections
- Multnomah County Food Establishment Inspections Search
- Southern Nevada Health District Restaurant Inspections
Miscellaneous Relevant Resources Not Included Elsewhere
- Foodborne Disease Outbreaks: Guidelines for Investigation and Control
- Industry: Foodborne Illness Investigation Training and Recall Response Information
- Anatomy of a Foodborne Illness Outbreak
- FDA Announcements of Food Recalls & Alerts
