Monthly Food Inspection Summary Reports

Information Pertaining to Food Establishment Inspections

Restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, taverns, schools, and other establishments that serve food to the public in Daviess County are permitted and inspected by the Environmental Health Services staff of the Daviess County Health Department. Inspections occur approximately twice per year by trained inspectors based on standards established by the Indiana Food Code and the Daviess County Retail Food Establishment Ordinance. These inspections are generally unannounced. The frequency of inspections is based on the type of food served, the menu, and the volume of customers serviced (For example, restaurants preparing food from raw ingredients are inspected more often than convenience stores that serve only non-potentially hazardous foods, such as prepackaged items, popcorn, and drinks). The Health Department will also conduct inspections in response to a consumer complaint or as part of a foodborne illness investigation. Inspections conducted are a small “snapshot” of how the establishment meets minimum sanitation requirements. State law requires inspection reports not to be available for public review until ten days after the inspection date.

Violations found during an inspection fall into the critical or non-critical category. Critical items can have a direct impact on the safety of the food and the potential for foodborne illness. Non-critical items play a role in the overall performance of the facility but alone do not directly affect food safety. These are usually sanitation or maintenance issues and are the items most often observed by the public while dining.

Examples of critical violations include storing food at improper temperatures; touching ready-to-eat foods without gloves; food purchased from an unapproved source, or poor personal hygiene and employee health.

Examples of non-critical violations include dirty floors; equipment in poor repair; Workers not wearing hair restraints such as hair nets or caps; or outside trash receptacles left uncovered.

There are varying degrees of critical and non-critical violations that may be recorded at the time of inspection. Just because an establishment has a violation cited does not mean that they are not meeting minimum health standards. Most violations can be corrected at the time of inspection or within a very short period of time after its conclusion. But if necessary, a follow-up inspection will occur to ensure the problem is corrected. Only in cases where there is an imminent threat to public health will a facility be ordered to be closed until the problem is corrected. The inspection reports that are kept on file indicate if the violation was corrected immediately or if the operator needed more time. The public has the right to review the documents on file in the Daviess County Health Department at any reasonable time during normal business hours ten days after an inspection is completed.

The inspection summary reports posted on our website are for informational use only and are provided so you, as the consumer, can make an educated choice on what establishments you wish to visit.

For more information on inspections or general food safety, contact the Daviess County Health Department Environmental Health Services staff at (812) 254-8666 Opt 3 or email foodsafety@daviesshealth.com.

Monthly Inspection Summary Reports