Public Health Inspectors in Huron County routinely visit food premises within the county to conduct routine inspections and re-inspections. Food premises are any premises where food or milk is manufactured, processed, prepared, stored, handled, displayed, distributed, transported, sold or offered for sale.

Public Health Inspectors look to see if the premises is following the Ontario Food Premises Regulation and if there any immediate risks to the safety of the food being provided to the public.

Public Health Inspectors do a risk assessment for every food premises in Huron County every year. Risk assessments look at:

• The types of food sold
• How food is prepared
• Equipment used
• Food safety management program in place
• Food safety knowledge of staff
• Type of patrons (e.g. hospital, restaurant, nursing home)
• Past and current compliance record of the food premises

The risk assessment score that a premises receives determines if the establishment is high, medium 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 medium risk restaurant will be inspected once every six months and low risk restaurant will be inspected once every 12 months.

If a food premises is assessed to be an immediate health risk it is closed indefinitely until public health standards are met.

In 2009, the inspectors conducted 1,138 food premises inspections.

Disclosure of Inspections

Inspection reports are available on request from the health unit. If you wish to receive information on a food premises, you may need to complete a Freedom of Information request. Please call the health unit at 519.482.3416 or toll free at 1.877.837.6143.

A photocopy fee may apply.