Food and Lodging

Restaurant Operator News & Resources

Important Information Regarding LA Shellfish

Several shellfish harvesting areas in Louisiana have been closed due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Please click on the link below for more information. If you have questions pertaining to shellfish in your facility, please contact Jeff French at (336) 348-6770.

Louisiana Molluscan Shellfish Program.

H1N1 Information for Food Service Establishments

Please click the link below for information on decreasing the spread of H1N1 in food service establishments

H1N1 Guidance for Food Service Establishments. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

New Regulations for Sliced Tomatoes

The FDA Food Code now considers sliced tomatoes to be a potentially hazardous food. As a result, sliced tomatoes and uncooked recipes including raw tomatoes shall be held at 45 F or below. This new regulation is a result of recent foodborne illnesses across the U.S. concerning raw tomatoes. For information concerning this new regulation or to be considered for an exemption, please contact the Environmental Health Specialist in your county.

New Inspection Form for Food Service Facilities

As of July 1, 2008 the Appalachian District Health Department began using a new inspection form developed by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This new form is based on the FDA Food Code and focuses on the aspects of food service that pose the greatest risk for the contamination of food. Click on the link below to view a sample of the new inspection form. If you have specific questions about the new form, please contact the Environmental Health Specialist in your county.

Inspection Form for Food Service.

New Minimum Hot-Holding Requirement for Food

As of November 1, 2007 the new minimum hot-holding requirement for food is 135 F. The maximum cold-holding requirement for food is still 45 F. Please note that food holding at temperatures beyond these limits will not be considered in violation. For example, chicken salad at a temperature of 39 F and fried chicken at a temperature of 175 F exceed these requirements and are considered compliant.

New Cooling Requirement for Food

As of November 1, 2007 the two-stage cooling method was added to "Rules Governing the Sanitation of Food handling Establishments". Under this method, food shall be cooled to 70 F or less within two hours after it is removed from temperature control. Then the food shall be cooled from 70 F to 45 F or less within the next 4 hours. If the food does not meet the above requirements, it shall be heated to at least 165 F to start the process again. Some methods that can be used to cool foods quickly and effectively can be submerging the container of food in an ice-water bath, using a frozen ice paddle, or dividing the food into smaller quantities. Cooling food is a very important part of food safety. Proper cooling of food will help prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause food-borne illness.

Embargo Authority

Environmental Health Specialists now have the ability to embargo food that has been adulterated or misbranded. When food is found to be mislabeled, spoiled, from unapproved sources, or improperly handled the owner or manager can elect to voluntarily dispose of the food in question and denature it with chemicals. If the owner or manager refuses to discard this food, the food may be embargoed. Once the food is tagged and embargoed, the food is to remain undisturbed until a court of law reviews the situation.

Educational Links, Brochures, Advisories, and Signs for use by operators.