Food Safety

Responsibilities

The primary function of the Health Officer involves the inspection and licensing of food establishments in Salem. All 196 food establishments in our community are routinely inspected twice per year and follow-up inspections are conducted to ensure critical code violations are corrected in a timely fashion.

Food-Borne Illness Complaints

In addition, complaints and reports of food-borne illnesses are investigated. The mission of this program is to protect the food supply and prevent citizens from contracting foodborne illnesses.

Basic Principles of Food Safety

In addition to sanitation issues, food establishments are monitored to ensure they understand and implement the three basic principles of food safety:

• Personal hygiene for food handlers
• Time and temperature control of food items
• Cross-contamination prevention

These efforts will help to provide a more knowledgeable workforce and a safer environment for consumers.

Health Alert Network

An additional component of the food safety program is participation in the state’s Health Alert Network. Information concerning food outbreaks and food recalls is provided to this office and a grant from this program allowed the acquisition of new technology. This new equipment and an inspection database will assist in improving the monitoring and documentation of inspection activities.