The Washtenaw County Environmental Services Division inspects food service establishments. Examples include:
Establishments can be fixed or mobile, and long-term or temporary.
According to Michigan law, food service establishments are inspected as follows:
The inspections described above are “ROUTINE” inspections. One or more “FOLLOW-UP” inspections may take place shortly after a routine inspection to verify that violations have been corrected. No matter the inspection frequency, all routine inspections are unannounced. The dates of follow-up inspections, however, may be told to the operator of the establishment.
The standards for all food establishments in Michigan are set by the Michigan Food Law, Act 92 of 2000, as amended (MCL 289.1101 – 289.8111). Food establishments shall comply with this law.
The Michigan Food Law adopted the 2005 Food Code of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the sanitation standard for all Michigan food establishments.There are two main categories of violations: critical violations and non-critical violations.
Examples of critical violations include:
Examples of non-critical violations include:
Critical violations are more likely than non-critical violations to lead to contamination of food or to result in illness if not corrected. Each violation listed in an inspection report clearly states whether or not the violation is critical.
In the inspection report, critical violations are listed as "Violation (Critical)", followed by the name of the violation, while non-critical violations are listed by name of the violation only. Additionally, there is a link for each violation that describes that violation in detail. The specific requirements may be found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Code.
Inspections of food service establishments in Michigan are not scored. The best way to judge the results of an inspection is to read the entire inspection report! A perfect routine inspection report would have:
A typical routine inspection report may have:
A poor routine inspection report generally has:
It is important to remember that the presence of violations in a past inspection report does not necessarily mean that an establishment has the same violations today. Furthermore, large establishments with extensive menus will generally have more violations than small establishments with simple menus. This does not mean that large establishments are less safe than smaller ones. So, when comparing inspection reports from different establishments, consider whether they are of similar size and have similar menus.
A food service operator shall correct all violations of the Food Code by the time allowed in the inspection report. Failure to do so results in either summary or progressive enforcement action.
Washtenaw County Environmental Services Division takes summary enforcement action when the violations at issue pose an imminent health hazard. Summary actions include the immediate limitation, suspension, or revocation of a license to protect public health. Imminent health hazards include:
When an establishment has one or more of these imminent health hazards, the health department orders the operation closed, and the operation may reopen only after correcting the violations.
Environmental Health Services pursues progressive enforcement action when the violations do not pose an imminent health hazard. According to the Michigan Administrative Procedures Act, a food service license holder must be given three (3) opportunities to correct violations before his or her license is limited, suspended or revoked:
The following abbreviations are sometimes used by the Sanitarians when writing their inspection reports:
BHC – Bare Hand Contact – Foods that will not receive any further cooking, such as salads, cold sandwiches, and breads, may not be touched with bare hands. Workers must use gloves, utensils, etc. to handle the food.
DM – Date Marking – Foods that need to be kept refrigerated and must be marked with a “use by” date. Common examples of foods that need date marking are tuna salad, cold cuts, pasta salad and some salad dressings.
FIFO – First In, First Out – This phrase refers to proper product rotation. If the item is the first in the refrigerator (i.e. the oldest), then it should be used first.
PHF – Potentially Hazardous Food – This abbreviation refers to foods that must be kept hot or cold to prevent bacterial growth. Examples of potentially hazardous foods include meats, cheeses, cooked pasta, cooked rice, cooked vegetables, soups, and some raw produce such as seed sprouts and cut melon.
PIC – Person In Charge – Each restaurant is required to have a person in charge at the restaurant at all times while they are preparing or serving foods. That person must be knowledgeable about the safe operation of their facility.
RTE – Ready-to-Eat – This phrase refers to foods that need no further cooking, cleaning or processing to be consumed. Examples include salads, sandwiches, sushi, and pizza.
WIC – Walk In Cooler – This is the large refrigerator that many restaurants have to keep the bulk of their foods cold.
For more information on restaurant reports, restaurant licensing, or
food safety in general, please call:
Washtenaw County
Department of Planning & Environment
Environmental Services Division
(734) 222-3800
Also, visit our other Food Safety pages for
information on opening a restaurant, food allergies, and more!