Health Inspections

There are over 269 food establishments in Englewood. Of these, over 103 are restaurants. The others include food courts, supermarkets, school cafeterias, convenience store operations, hot dog carts, coffee shops, farmer's markets, hospitals, nursing homes, and daycare centers.

There are six types of inspections that may be performed:

1. Routine: unannounced, comprehensive inspection of the entire physical establishment and all aspects of safe food handling practices.
2. Follow-up: unannounced inspection conducted for the purpose of re-inspecting items that were not in compliance at the time of routine, critical procedures or complaint inspection.
3. Complaint Investigation: unannounced inspection performed in response to a complaint received by the health department.
4. Critical Procedures: unannounced inspection during which foodborne illness risk factors are evaluated to determine compliance with critical sections of the regulations.
5. Pre-opening: scheduled inspection to approve a newly constructed or remodeled establishment (or installation of new equipment) prior to a permit being issued and an establishment beginning operation.
6. Training: scheduled inspection during which formal food safety training is provided to employees of a food establishment. This can also be a mock inspection.

Public Health Inspectors, also known as Registered Environmental Health Specialists (REHS), conduct inspections in Englewood. Health Inspectors are professionals who receive specialized training in the area of food safety and sanitation. All Public Health Inspectors must hold a bachelor's degree or higher with at least 30 hours of coursework in the physical sciences. In addition, inspectors must pass the New Jersey REHS licensure examination and maintain continuing education credits annually.

Foodborne illness can occur in any type of food establishment. However, it is more likely to occur in facilities where many different kinds of perishable foods are handled and prepared. For this reason, Englewood uses a risk-based inspection program. This determines the frequency of inspections. The level of risk is determined by the types of food served, the complexity of preparation steps that food requires, the population served, the volume of food served, and previous compliance history.

A food establishment may routinely be inspected from one to four times during a 12-month period. For example, a full-service restaurant or hospital cafeteria will have more frequent routine inspections than a convenience store or coffee shop.

Public Health Inspectors look for any conditions or practices that might result in a foodborne illness. This includes things such as food temperature control, worker hygiene, cross-contamination concerns, food handling practices, food protection practices, and equipment maintenance. Public Health Inspectors use the New Jersey Sanitary Code (found at NJAC 8:24-1 and entitled "Chapter 24 Sanitation in Retail Food Establishments and Food and Beverage Vending Machines" as guidance. You can access the Sanitary Code here.