It is estimated that hundreds of British Columbians get sick from food poisoning every day. Very serious cases can result in prolonged sickness and even death. Environmental Health Officers inspect all food premises in their efforts to reduce the incidence of food borne illness. These inspections and risk assessments focus on food handling practises and the general sanitation and maintenance of the equipment and facility.
Public Health Protection is responsible for food premises that prepare food for public consumption. We do not inspect events where the food being sold consists of whole fresh fruits and vegetables or the food is pre-packaged and considered to be non-hazardous. Non-hazardous means the food can be stored at room temperature because it won’t support the growth of disease causing bacteria. Examples of pre-packaged non-hazardous food include potato chips, candy, bread, peanuts or dried fruit. Other premises are exempt under the Food Premises Regulation. They include Bed and Breakfast establishments, food banks and events where food is prepared and served at gatherings limited to members of their own organization and invited guests.
The inspections and hazard ratings posted on this site are valid only at the time of inspection. Conditions are subject to change. Information is posted to this site as often as possible to reflect the current conditions. This site may not reflect any changes made to correct the hazards identified. New hazards may occur subsequent to the time of the last inspection. Visitors to this site are cautioned against interpreting the status of a particular facility based on only one report.
Further to the observations noted on the inspection forms, you will note that a hazard rating has been assigned to the facility. The hazard rating is an assessment of risk as determined at the time of inspection. It is based on the observations and information collected by the Environmental Health Officer and is influenced by the file history. The Environmental Health Officer will assess the facility using the following guidelines.
A “Low” rating means that no critical hazards were found and there is a low probability of risk to the public. The operator demonstrates an understanding of the hazard or concern and a willingness to comply. A review of the file shows a history of compliance and a trend of low hazard ratings.
It is important to note that a facility with no hazards is still assigned a low hazard rating in recognition of the fact that no facility or situation is ever completely hazard free even though it may appear to be at the time of inspection.
A “Moderate” rating means that one or more critical hazards or a combination of non critical hazards were observed that contribute to a risk to the public. The operator demonstrates an understanding of the hazard or concern and shows a willingness to comply. A review of the file shows a history of compliance and trend of low hazard ratings.
If a “High” hazard rating is assigned to a facility, this means that the Environmental Health Officer observed a combination of critical hazards and non critical hazards which puts the public at significant risk. Further, the operator does not demonstrate understanding of hazard or concern. The file may demonstrate a pattern of historical non-compliance, complaints or food borne illness investigations.
If a moderate or high hazard rating is assigned, Environmental Health Officers are taking steps to ensure that the risk to the public is addressed immediately and long term improvements will be implemented to ensure long term compliance with our expectations regarding safe food handling and sanitary practises.