Food Service Licensing

Food Services - Health Department
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The Food Service division is responsible for protecting our community from the transmission of disease by food.

The department provides state licensing, inspection and education to food service operations and retail food establishments in Richland County. The Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Board of Health, with the help of the Food Service division, enforces food safety rules and laws, which are set forth by the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Administrative code. These rules apply to food service operations, temporary and mobile food services, retail food establishments, and vending machine locations.

1) Food Service & Retail Food Establishment
Under Ohio law, food service operations (restaurants) and retail food establishments (groceries), which include seasonal (operate 6 or fewer months/per year) are categorized and inspected according to their designated class.

Risk level of food service operations (3701-21-02.3 )

The licensor shall determine the risk level based on the highest risk level activity of the food service operation in accordance with the following criteria:

(A) Risk level I poses potential risk to the public in terms of sanitation, food labeling, sources of food, storage practices, or expiration dates. Examples of risk level I activities include, but are not limited to, an operation that offers for sale or sells:

(1) Coffee, self-service fountain drinks, prepackaged non-potentially hazardous beverages;

(2) Pre-packaged refrigerated or frozen potentially hazardous foods;

(3) Pre-packaged non-potentially hazardous foods; or

(4) Baby food or formula.

A "food delivery sales operation" as defined in 3717.01 (H) of the Revised Code shall be classified as risk level I.

(B) Risk level II poses a higher potential risk to the public than risk level I because of hand contact or employee health concerns but minimal possibility of pathogenic growth exists. Examples of risk level II activities include, but are not limited to:

(1) Handling, heat treating, or preparing non-potentially hazardous food;

(2) Holding for sale or serving potentially hazardous food at the same proper holding temperature at which it was received; or

(3) Heating individually packaged, commercially processed potentially hazardous foods for immediate service.

(C) Risk level III poses a higher potential risk to the public than risk level II because of the following concerns: proper cooking temperatures, proper cooling procedures, proper holding temperatures, contamination issues or improper heat treatment in association with longer holding times before consumption, or processing a raw food product requiring bacterial load reduction procedures in order to sell it as ready-to-eat. Examples of risk level III activities include, but are not limited to:

(1) Handling, cutting, or grinding raw meat products;

(2) Cutting or slicing ready-to-eat meats and cheeses;

(3) Assembling or cooking potentially hazardous food that is immediately served, held hot or cold, or cooled;

(4) Operating a heat treatment dispensing freezer;

(5) Reheating in individual portions only; or

(6) Heating of a product, from an intact, hermetically sealed package and holding it hot.

(D) Risk level IV poses a higher potential risk to the public than risk level III because of concerns associated with: handling or preparing food using a procedure with several preparation steps that includes reheating of a product or ingredient of a product where multiple temperature controls are needed to preclude bacterial growth; offering as ready-to-eat a raw potentially hazardous meat, poultry product, fish, or shellfish or a food with these raw potentially hazardous items as ingredients; using freezing as a means to achieve parasite destruction; serving a primarily high risk clientele including immuno-compromised or elderly individuals in a facility that provides either health care or assisted living; or using time in lieu of temperature as a public health control for potentially hazardous food or performs a food handling process that is not addressed, deviates, or otherwise requires a variance for the process. Examples of risk level IV activities include, but are not limited to:

(1) Reheating bulk quantities of leftover potentially hazardous food more than once every seven days; or

(2) Caterers or other similar food service operations that transport potentially hazardous food.

2) Temporary Food Service Operations
Temporary operations are operated at a single event such as fairs or carnivals for not more than five consecutive days. (Except for agricultural events such as the Richland County Fair.)

3) Mobile Food Service Operations
Mobile food services operate from a moveable vehicle on wheels or portable structure that routinely changes location and does not remain at any one location for more than 40 consecutive days.

4) Vending Machine Locations
The food service division is also responsible for inspecting vending machines to ensure they are sanitary and maintain appropriate heating and cooling temperatures.

The licensing period for all food service operations is one year. The licensing period begins the first day of March and ends the last day of February of the next succeeding year. Below is a table of the 2008 State Licensing Fees for the different Food Service Operation Categories.

FOOD ESTABLISHMENT LICENSE FEE SCHEDULE (revised 12/1/2007)

FOOD ESTABLISHMENT FEES - Facility Less than 25,000 Square Feet
Risk Category	Commercial	Noncommercial
1	$200	$100
2	$224	$112
3	$422	$211
4	$534	$267
FOOD ESTABLISHMENT FEES - Facility 25,000 Square Feet and Greater
Risk Category	Commercial	Noncommercial
1	$286	$143
2	$300	$150
3	$1044	$522
4	$1108	$554

VENDING	$23
MOBILE FOOD SERVICE	$162
TEMPORARY FOOD SERVICE	$98	$49

*Noncommercials include government food establishment operations and operations conducted by churches, schools, non-profit youth groups whose membership consists primarily of persons aged eighteen (18) or younger, and organizations which are discribed in subsection 501 (c) (3) and are tax exempt under subsection 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 100 Stat, 2085, 26 U.S.C.A. 1, as amended.

The Food Service division at the Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department licenses and routinely inspects food service operations, temporary and mobile food services, vending locations and food establishments to ensure public safety. When a health code violation is discovered, the problem is thoroughly explained and corrective measures are taken. Thanks to an ongoing working relationship between the Health Department's Registered Sanitarians and the food service operators in Richland County, our community is protected against foodborne illnesses resulting from improper food preparation, handling, and storage as defined by the health code.
All questions regarding food service operations should be directed to the Environmental Health division at 419-774-4520. Ohio Food Service Laws and Rules can be found in Chapter 3732 of the Ohio Revised Code and Chapter 3701-21 of the Ohio Administrative Code.

FOOD SERVICE PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION SERVICE
The Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department offers a pre-purchase inspection service for food service operations. The service is offered, at no expense, to individuals considering a food service operation/retail food establishment in an existing building. Request can be made by calling the Environmental Health Division at the Health Department, 419-774-4520.

The service is offered to assist the original owner or operator and prospective owner or operator in identifying sanitary deficiencies which exist. The inspection, done by a sanitarian and plumbing inspector, will also address all time limitations which apply to the correction of deficiencies. Prior to the issuance of a license, particular food service operation standards must be met. The particular specifications which apply depend upon the nature of the proposed operation, the menu and, in the case of pre-existing food service locations, the length of time since the food service was last open. The specific requirements will be identified through the pre-purchase inspection and a written report will be provided to the owner detailing findings.

"For individuals considering purchasing an existing restaurant, the pre-purchase inspection could identify plumbing and equipment upgrades which would be required to bring a facility up to code which could cost thousands of dollars," said Beth Conrad, a sanitarian at the Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department. "The pre-purchase inspection will help avoid delays in getting a food license after new ownership."

A license can not be issued for conducting a food service operation, including pizza operations, in Ohio until a final inspection confirms applicable items of the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code have been complied with.

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