Heading into 2024, the environmental health team at Mesa County Public Health continues to foster a food safety culture through its work with restaurant partners and other permit holders.

Food safety is crucial.  About one in six people get sick from foodborne illnesses every year. There are about 128,000 hospitalizations annually as a result of contaminated food.

Mesa County Public Health licenses and inspects every retail food business in the county. A team of inspectors works with local restaurants, food trucks and markets to offer education and answer questions about food safety. It’s our goal to be a community resource for our partners.

Changes in 2024 will enable work to continue.

Fees for all license types increased about 15 percent effective Jan. 1. Fees were increased to expand the inspection team and ensure it can continue to provide services. We’re adding two inspectors to meet the demands of a growing list of new retail food establishments as well as better serve existing partners.

In addition, Colorado is working on adopting the newest version of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration food code. A decision to adopt the new code is expected early in 2024. The update will include changes in language for clarity, the requirement for the person in charge to have a certification in food safety and some additional language changes around shellfish.

For any inspection program, the goal is continuous improvement. As we look back on 2023, there were improvements among local food establishments.
We saw an increase in controls for employee health, both reporting and education; hand washing sinks supplied, accessible and operating properly during inspections; and more establishments obtaining Certified Food Protection Manager Certification.

There’s room for improvement heading into the new year, including increased hand washing and educating employees on when hand washing is required; implementing and practicing date marking for foods and increased control over food production to ensure safety.

Our routine inspections focus on what employees can do right away to prevent foodborne illness and what systems the business has in place to prevent illness and injury. We make sure equipment is working correctly and food is kept at the right temperatures.

Our team also makes sure employees are knowledgeable about how disease spreads through food and they’re washing their hands and preventing contact with ready-to-eat
foods with their bare hands. The goal of every inspection is to provide education and help food employees, managers and business owners understand regulations.

Restaurants are normally scheduled for one to three routine inspections a year depending on a number of factors:

The complexity of the menu.

How much food is made from raw products.

How much food is made in advance rather than cooked-to-order.

Whether there’s been a suspected or confirmed foodborne illness outbreak.

If the restaurant serves a highly susceptible population.

Previous inspection outcomes.

The inspection process can take anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours. Every inspection begins with a brief introduction and overview of the visit. Inspectors walk through the facility to understand the flow of food through the kitchen and then focus on specific areas and processes after a general overview. The team spends time with the employees, managers and owners to assess their knowledge of food safety through discussion and observations.

Ultimately, our team wants to make sure the facility serves safe food. If we find items out of compliance, we work together with businesses to correct them and find steps for long-term compliance.

As we look to 2024, we’re excited to continue our work with food establishments in Mesa County to ensure the food we eat is safe.