About Food Inspections
The Buffalo Trace District Health Department regularly inspects all Mason County and Robertson County food service establishments, including bars, restaurants, and grocery stores.
One of the requirements for a permit is that the establishment must be inspected regularly. This is done by a registered sanitarian, commonly known as a health inspector.
FREQUENCY
The inspections are conducted based upon items related to general sanitation and food safety. They are done twice a year, unless otherwise needed (for example, a restaurant having a food safety/sanitation complaint may be inspected more than twice in one year. Also, establishments that only operate for a short period of time during the year may only receive one inspection each year.)
The inspections are typically unannounced — the establishment does not know ahead of time when the inspections will take place. The exception to this is in cases where it is necessary to schedule an inspection due to an establishment’s hours of operation or for other establishments that are not open to the public on a walk-in basis.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the inspections is to assure that the food is being properly handled and protected when stored, prepared, displayed, served and transported. Inspections observe various aspects of a food service operation including:
- Food service worker’s hygienic practices and food handling practices
- Food temperatures for potentially hazardous foods
- Equipment design, maintenance and operation
You can learn more about food service establishment requirements by going to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services’ Food Safety page, or foodsafety.gov.
MORE:
Click here to view the latest inspection scores. Please keep in mind that the inspection scores only represent the conditions present at the time of the inspection. Conditions in food service establishments can change from hour-to-hour and day-to-day.
Below is an image of the form our inspectors use when they evaluate food service establishments:
