Food Safety Program

50 years of experience in protecting consumers

Environmental Health staff routinely inspect food establishments.

Since the mid-1960s, the City of Bloomington has maintained a food safety program to protect public health. Highly-accredited health inspectors regularly inspect restaurants and other food facilities. These inspectors have a bachelor’s or higher degree in environmental health or a related field. In addition to certification from the State of Minnesota; they are also Registered Environmental Health Specialists on the national level.

Types of establishments
Focus of an inspection
Frequency of inspections

Types of establishments

Food establishments are grouped into three categories based on the kind of food offered and how it is prepared or handled prior to service. The types of establishments are:

A facility that offers raw animal foods, or where food is cooked, cooled, reheated or prepared a day or more in advance of service.
A facility where food has already been cooked (precooked), and preparation and handling prior to service is limited.
A facility that offers only prepackaged foods like candy, chips, sandwiches and soda that require no preparation or handling prior to service.

Focus of an inspection

Studies have increased understanding of food safety and identified the risk factors that most often contribute to foodborne disease outbreaks. The five risk factors identified by the Center for Disease Control are:

Improper holding temperatures.
Inadequate cooking.
Contaminated equipment.
Food from unsafe sources.
Poor personal hygiene.

The key to food safety is long-term control of risk factors. During a food inspection, inspectors note violations of the Food Code, including critical items. Critical items, if in noncompliance, are more likely than other violations to contribute to food contamination, illness or environmental degradation. The number of critical items found out of compliance during an inspection does not predict the likelihood of a foodborne disease outbreak.

Frequency of inspections

On average, inspectors conduct two unannounced routine inspections per year in restaurants with follow-up inspections on any items not in compliance. Through uniform inspections, training and other activities, City health inspectors work with food employees and managers at every food establishment to ensure food safety with the common goal of preventing foodborne disease. As of January 2005, routine inspections have been based on new program standards recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Minnesota Department of Agriculture external link and the Minnesota Department of Health.

For more information, contact:

Environmental Health Division
PH: 952-563-8934, FAX: 952-563-8949
E-mail: envhealth@ci.bloomington.mn.us