Food Program
Every year one in six Americans will get sick from food poisoning. The purpose of the food safety program is to reduce the risk of a possible food-borne illness outbreak. This is achieved through licensing, inspecting, and providing educational services to the food service industry and the general public.
Licensing
All food service operations and retail food establishments serving or preparing food for a fee are required by law to be licensed by the local health district and must follow the rules established in the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code. Annual licenses including mobile unit licenses are valid each year from March 1 to February 28 (or Feb. 29th on a Leap Year). Temporary licenses are per event and valid up to five days.
To become licensed, a plan review must be completed. Licenses are not transferable so, submit the appropriate plan review application well in advance of ownership or operating.
Contact the Environmental Health Division at (419) 668-1652 ext. 239 for questions about the plan review application or to schedule a consultation. Once licensed, inquire about the Gold Plate Award.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Division of Food Safety has jurisdiction over Cottage Food Facilities and Home Bakeries. Visit the ODA Division of Food Safety website or contact them via phone at (614)-728-6250 or via email at foodsafety@agri.ohio.gov for additional information.
Food Facility Inspections
Home Based Food Products
Cottage foods are allowed to be sold to the public but are prepared in an unlicensed facility (such as a private home). These foods are limited to specific foods that are not potentially hazardous and must be appropriately labeled.
Home Bakeries are licensed facilities that are permitted to sell certain foods including some potentially hazardous foods to the public. These licenses are issued by the ODA. Please contact the ODA Divison of Food Safety for more information at 1-800-282-1955 Ext. 4366.
Gold Plate Award
The Gold Plate Award is an acknowledgment given by Huron County Public Health to food services that have excellent food safety practices. This award will be given annually and will be based on the facility's performance throughout the current licensing year. This is a voluntary program and each facility must apply each year to be considered.
*Please print form, complete, and return to HCPH.
Eligibility
These awards are reserved for facilites that meet the following critieria:
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Have a valid FSO or RFE license
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Send in application (located on our website)
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Receive a score of 90 or higher
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Have not had any administrative action within the last 2 years, which includes:
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Warning letter
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Administrative
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Have not been responsible for a foodborne outbreak in the last 2 years
Scoring
The scores will be calculated using the standard inspections (2 per year) and averaging both scores. Each facility will start at 100 and will be deducted points on the following scale:
Critical Violation...............................................-8
(Not corrected or has repeatedly occurred)
Critical Violation...............................................-6
(Corrected during inspection)
Person-in-Charge Violation..............................-3
Non-Critical Violation.......................................-2
(Not corrected during inspection)
Non-Critical Violation.......................................-1
(Corrected during inspection)
Awards
Any facility that receives the award will receive a certificate that can be displayed for public review in their restaurant. The restaurants will also be acknowledged on our website as a Gold Plate Award Winner.
