Food Service Establishments

Information for food establishment owners

NDDH regularly inspects food service establishments to assure that safe food handling procedures are being followed and that proper safeguards are in place to prevent the spread of food borne illness.

Inspection results are uploaded to our public records database which can be accessed from our
Property and Inspection Records page.

Annual Permitting Reminder

NDDH Annual permits must be renewed by December 15th annually. Payments made after December 15th will incur a mandatory late fee of $90.00. In addition, penalty fees of $12 per NDDH business day are imposed from January 2 through January 15 (to a maximum of $120.00).

Important Information

* Required to have posted on-premise. Signage will be verified during inspections.

CFPM Certificates are required by all class 2, 3 , and 4 establishments. These certificates need to be kept on premise and copies must be sent to NDDH.

Visit our CFPM Page to check if we have any courses currently scheduled.

or

Visit the DPH CFPM Page for a list of other approved course providers. 

  • Who is responsible for cleaning?
  • What type of chemicals and procedures are used?

Resources:

 

The Disclosure: identifies the food item which may be raw and / or under-cooked. This can be done with any marking, typically an * or other symbol.

The Reminder: informs the consumer of the risk.

“Consuming raw or under-cooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.”

Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 41 ° and 135 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. The poster below can be used as a reminder.

Hot: If hot water sanitizing, you must have a temperature monitoring device (test strips or a min/max thermometer).

Chemical: If chemical sanitizing, you must have appropriate test strips (Chlorine or Quaternary ammonia).

You must be in contact with a Licensed Pest Control Operator.

New changes in CT State law will require certain food establishments to register with the CT Department of Consumer Protection before receiving a permit to operate from NDDH.

Shellfish tags must be kept with shellfish batch until all are served and thereafter kept for a MINIMUM of 90 days, organized in chronological order.

Signs must be posted and clearly state “ALL food employees must wash their hands when returning to work” in all bathrooms and “Hand wash only” at handwashing sinks.

Critical violations include:

  • Lack of hand soap and clean paper towels at hand washing sink / station
  • Failure to turn off hand sinks using paper towels

Resources:

FDA

FDA Food Product Recall List

Opening a New Food Service Establishment or Making Renovations

If you plan to open a new food service establishment or before you make any renovations, read and fill out our FSE Plan Review Packet by clicking the button below. It can also be found on our Forms & Applications page under the “Food Service” tab.

Reciprocal Itinerant Food Vendor Program in CT

The State recently introduced a process for reciprocal permitting of itinerant food vendors (IFV). This will allow an IFV with a reciprocal permit from one health district/department to operate in every other participating health district/department. NDDH will be participating in this program. You can find more information and Frequently Asked Questions at the State Website: Itinerant Food Vendors (ct.gov)

  1. An IFV is basically a food truck. The reciprocal agreement does not apply to any other types of transitory food service such as pushcarts, booths at fairs or events, or other set-ups.
  2. The reciprocal permit does not apply to multi-day/special events such as fairs, carnivals, or festivals. IFVs will need permits from NDDH to serve food at multi-day or special events that disrupt their standard operating procedures.
  3. All IFVs will still have to comply with all local ordinances. This requirement is clearly and repeatedly stated in the Frequently Asked Questions documents that describe the new program. It is the responsibility of the IFV to see if there are any applicable local ordinances. These may include:
    • Zoning
    • Fire
    • Parking
    • Building
    • Peddler’s Permits
    • Other Town permits

Adopting the FDA Model Food Code and What it Means for Food Establishments

2022 FDA Model Food Code

Attention Owners/Managers of all food establishments in the twelve towns served by the Northeast District Department of Health: The adoption of the 2022 FDA Model Food Code means significant changes in requirements for all food establishments. Learn how these changes will impact your establishment. NDDH is committed to assisting our food establishments to transition successfully to these new regulations.

See our implementation packet and additional resources below.

Water Contamination/Interruption at Food Service Establishments

Water contamination or interruption of service can drastically impact a food service establishment’s ability to operate. Examples of water emergencies, include, but are not limited to, E. coli contamination, an interruption of water service, or an inadequate supply of water. The following documents are provided by the CT Department of Public Health Food Protection Program to assist food service operators in times of water emergencies:

General Guidance – Water Emergencies at Food Establishments

Bulk Water Hauling at Food Establishments

Interim Measures for E. coli Contamination/Water Supply Interruption at Food Establishments – This documents includes the acceptable corrective actions that must be taken with operations and associated equipment during a water emergency.

Guidelines for Reopening of Food Establishments after a Water Emergency

NDDH encourages all food service establishments to have a business continuity of operations plan (COOP) in place to address operations in times of emergency. Having a plan for service interruption is good for your business… and for the customers who count on you.