Food Safety Inspection Program
Section 19-13-B42 of the Connecticut Public Health Code requires
inspections be conducted on a regular schedule. The Madison Health
Department ensures that these schedules are adhered to.
The core of Madison Health Department's Food Safety Program is an
inspection routine conducted in all food service locations in town,
including restaurants, catering facilities, bakeries, schools, nursing
homes and day care facilities where food is prepared. As mandated by
the state, food service facilities are divided into 4 categories,
depending on the type of food served and are inspected one, two, three
or four times per year. Inspections are unannounced and are graded on a
debit system with points deducted for failure to adhere to provisions
on a checklist devised by the state Department of Health. Facilities
are required to get a passing score and if they do not, they are
re-inspected approximately two weeks after the first failure. The
Health Department also reviews all plans for new proposed food service
establishments and additions/renovations to existing operations.
Qualified Food Operators
Class 3 and 4 facilities are required to employ a qualified food operator (QFO), someone who has completed and passed the Serve Safe
food sanitation course. They are also required to designate an
alternate to act in the absence of the QFO. The alternate is not
required to complete the Serve Safe course, but should have equivalent
food safety knowledge and the authority to act in the absence of the
QFO.
The following websites provide information about upcoming QFO
courses. A web search will turn up additional information, but be sure
that any course you take is approved by the Connecticut Department of Public
Health.