Food Protection

As major components of Public Health, food safety education and inspections are a priority for the North Central District Health Department. Part of our mission is to reduce the risk of food borne illness and disease by ensuring food safety through education and, when necessary, enforcement.

Currently our office issues licenses for over 850 establishments operating within the district. This number does not include "temporary" events such as weekend food events/festivals, that are issued permits and inspected as necessary.

As a requirement of licensing, all food service establishments must undergo routine inspections to monitor food handling practices and environmental factors which may contribute to illness or disease. The frequency of inspections depends on the classification on the food service establishment. There are four categories or “classifications” of food service establishments that determine the inspection frequency. They are: