Retail Food Safety
The Retail Food Safety Program at NCHD is the Environmental Health Division's largest program. Our staff covers over 400 restaurants, grocery stores, schools and other facilities that store and/or serve food throughout our health district. We perform twice-yearly inspections on most facilities, or more frequently if a facility has had a history of critical violations or is the subject of complaints.
When we inspect facilities we are looking to ensure there are no violations that could contribute to a foodborne illness. We check to make sure foods are cooked and stored at appropriate temperatures, that facilities are clean and sanitization procedures are being followed, that food service staff are practicing good personal hygiene, and that all equipment is kept in working order. We also participate in the education of food service staff in northeast Colorado by offering ServSafe Food Handler and Manager trainings.
The State Board of Health unanimously voted to adopt the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (US FDA) 2013 model Food Code and the 2013 Supplement with an implementation date of January 1, 2019.
We continue to work with facilities to follow the current requirements within the 2013 model Food code.
ServSafe Trainings
The Managers' Certification and Food Handlers' ServSafe Trainings are provided in northeast Colorado by CSU Cooperative Extension and NCHD. For more information or to register contact Joy Akey, (970) 332-4151.
2021 Manager's Certification:
-Thursday, June 17, 2021 - Morgan County Fairgrounds, Brush, CO 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
2021 Food Handlers Training:
-Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - Logan County Extension Office, Sterling, CO 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
-Monday, September 20, 2021 - Yuma County Fairgrounds, Yuma, CO 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
-Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - Morgan County Fairgrounds, Brush, CO 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Managers' Training
COST
$100 if postmarked 30 days prior to training
$125 if postmarked less than 30 days prior to training
Topics
-Causes and costs of foodborne illness
-Proper employee hygiene
-Causes and prevention of food contamination
-Temperatures for cooking & serving
-Storage of food and non-food products
-Cleaning and sanitizing requirements/procedures
Registration Includes
-Lunch and refreshment breaks
-7 hours of food safety training
-Food Safety resource manual
-Temperature recording charts
-National Restaurant Association Certification examination
-Food Safety resources to train employees
Food Handlers' Training
COST
$40 if postmarked 2 weeks before training
$55 if postmarked less than 2 weeks prior to training
Topics
-Personal hygiene
-Cross-contamination prevention
-Cooking & serving temperatures
-Cooling procedures & storage temperatures
-Cleaning & sanitizing procedures
Registration Includes
-Training manual
-Lunch and refreshment breaks
-Food Handlers' certificate and registration number
-Food thermometer
For more information on ServSafe Trainings, or to register please contact:
Joy Akey
(970) 332-4151
Northeast Colorado Food Handler Course
This course encourages personal commitment to food safety principles and will prepare you to become a safe food handler. The Food Handler Course does not meet the requirement of having a certified food protection manager, but gives food handling staff more knowledge on basic food safety principles.
This food handler course provides instruction on the following:
- Food hazards: biological, physical, and chemical
- Personal hygiene practices
- Cleaning and sanitizing processes
- Time and temperature controls
Temporary Events
Additional Resources
Excellence in Food Safety
Every April we recognize the food establishments within our jurisdiction for providing the public with safely prepared foods and maintaining a high standard of food safety. There are three categories of award winners. Full service, a facility conducting food preparation, cooling, reheating, and hot and cold holding of potentially hazardous foods. Limited service, a facility conducting food preparation, limited cooling, reheating, and hot and cold holding of potentially hazardous foods. Finally, there is non- profit/ public service, this is a facility the operates as a public school, senior center, or other public entity. These awards are very hard to obtain, and we sincerely appreciate the hard work of all operators that put the health of their customers first. There are 472 total retail food establishments in Northeast Colorado, we only gave 18 Excellence in Food Safety Awards for 2018.
2019 Award Winners
Full Service
Spurz Grill - Logan County
All About the Smoke - Morgan County
The Daily Grind - Phillips County
Fernando's - Yuma County
Non-profit/ Public Service
Sterling High School - Logan County
Beaver Valley School - Morgan County
Ovid Senior Center - Sedgwick County
Otis School Lunch- Washington County
Wray High School Lunch Program - Yuma County
Limited Service
Brew Grit Coffee - LoganCounty
Morning Wood Coffee - Morgan County
Das Grebble Haus- Phillips County
Pizza Hut - Yuma County
If you'd like more information, please contact our Environmental Health Manager:
Melvin Bustos
(970) 867-4918 x2262