By Nicole Boyer, Public Affairs Coordinator, JCPH
An important part of public health is making sure that the food our community eats and purchases at restaurants, grocery stores, food trucks and more is safe for all. Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) conducts routine inspections of all retail food establishments in Jeffco and offers a helpful database of the results of these inspections.
There are more than 50 different categories that we use to evaluate food establishments. Jeffco has an accessible database where the community can look up their local restaurants and other retail food establishments in order to make an informed choice about where to eat. Public health is all about bringing community together and ensuring that everyone is healthy — and a vital part of taking care of our community’s health is making sure Jeffco residents are aware of the risks of foodborne illness. We encourage all residents to check inspection reports of their favorite spots on our database.
An important part of our efforts to help keep Jeffco’s food safe is working closely with retail food establishments on food safety education and ongoing technical assistance as needed. Our inspectors are available to work hand-in-hand with these establishments to help them with their food safety efforts.
There are steps you can take at home, too, to ensure the food your serve your family is safe. Most often, foodborne illnesses come from lack of proper washing of hands and food preparation surfaces, undercooked foods, improper cooling of cooked foods or cross-contamination of raw food with ready to eat food, such as produce. Some of the best ways to battle foodborne illnesses are precautions like:
- Washing your hands, surfaces and produce
- Separating raw food from ready to eat foods
- Making sure your food is cooked all the way through
- Cooling foods properly
Public health is for everyone, and JCPH is here for you and your family. We have resources available at Jeffco Food Safety to learn more about restaurant inspections and foodborne illness.
The topics that are important to you are important to us, and we want to hear from you! Send us an email or find us online and on Facebook or Twitter.
About Jefferson County Public Health
Public health is what we do collectively to prevent illness and premature death and promote health in our neighborhoods and communities. Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) is a nationally accredited health department committed to promoting and protecting health across the lifespan for all people through prevention, education and partnerships. To learn more about JCPH visit https://www.jeffco.us/public-health. You can also follow JCPH on Twitter @JeffcoPH, Instagram @JeffcoPH and Facebook @jeffcopublichealth.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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