Author: Kailee Curtis

Local Health Department

Food Service Sanitation

Foodborne illness outbreaks have the potential to affect large numbers of people, cause illness and distress, and can even be deadly. One critical function of public health is to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks from happening in food service facilities (such as restaurants) serving the public. Local health departments (LHDs) in Michigan provide a variety of services related to food service. All LHDs perform activities surrounding food service establishment evaluation, foodborne illness investigation, and food safety education. Some LHDs are also involved in regulation related to food processing and other activities.

Key Positions
Environmental Health Sanitarians
Environmental Health Secretaries
Environmental Health Supervisors

The CDC estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness in the United States.

Meets Public Health Standards:

ü	Michigan Public Health Code
ü	Michigan Local Public Health Accreditation
ü	Public Health Accreditation Board

Services:
Food service sanitarians inspect local food service establishments (such as restaurants) twice per year to ensure that they are meeting the standards set in Michigan’s Food Code. Other local food service operations, such as mobile food vendors, temporary kitchens and special events are inspected as needed. Many health departments teach Food Safety Manager certification courses throughout the year. Finally, food service sanitarians investigate food and restaurant complaints and conduct foodborne illness and outbreak investigations (in partnership with communicable disease nurses and epidemiologists).
Goals:
Local health department food service sanitation licensing, inspection and regulation aims to:
To assess the facility’s control over the most common risk factors for foodborne illness.
To identify restaurant and facility conditions that pose a potential threat to health and ensure their correction.
To reduce the incidence of foodborne illness and outbreaks.
To promote the food safety education of operators and workers.
To rapidly respond to any customer complaints or foodborne incidents/events.

Created by the Barry-Eaton District Health Department for the Michigan Association of Local Public Health with funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. August 2018.
*40 of Michigan’s local health departments indicated that they participate in food sanitation activities (of 41 who participated in the survey). Participants might not have answered each question.

Primary Funding Sources for Food Service Sanitation Activities:

Fees

Local Funding

State Grants

Impact:
Local health department sanitarians educate food service workers on the major food safety risk factors: temperature, cleanliness, worker hygiene, and safe suppliers.