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Here you can find a brief description of each of the food safety programs at Environmental Health as well as an introduction to what they do to protect the public from foodborne illness.

Restaurants & Markets

The goal of the Food Protection Program is to ensure that the food sold and served in Orange County is safe, wholesome, properly labeled and advertised, and produced under sanitary conditions. Staff inspect restaurants, markets, bakeries, bars, school cafeterias, and certified farmers’ markets. Food Inspections are conducted regularly to ensure that food is safe, facilities are clean, and foods are being advertised and labeled accurately and truthfully. Copies of inspection reports can be found here. 

  

Food Booths (Temporary Food Facilities)

Food Booths, also known as Temporary Food Facilities (TFF), are temporary booths that serve food. They might prepare, cook, or give away food, including packaged food. Hundreds of TTFs are permitted and sell food every year at Community Events such as fairs and festivals. The goal of the program is to ensure that food served to the public from these booths is safe and that the booths are operated and maintained in a sanitary condition. 

Cottage Food

Cottage Food allows certain foods to be made at home and sold to the public. These foods include non-potentially hazardous foods such as muffins, cookies, nuts, and candies. You simply need to fill out an application, meet some basic requirements, and soon you too can start selling food.

  

Plan Check

The Food Facility Plan Check & Construction Program reviews the plans for all new and remodeled food facilities within Orange County. The goal is to ensure that new and remodeled facilities are designed and built properly to minimize problems while the facility is open and operating. 

Food Vehicles – Trucks/Trailers/Carts

The Vehicle Program ensures that food stored, sold, and served from food vehicles is produced under safe and sanitary conditions, and comes from approved sources. Examples of food vehicles include lunch or catering trucks/trailers, prepackaged grocery trucks, produce trucks, ice cream trucks and carts that offer food such as prepackaged ice cream, coffee, and hot dogs. Vehicle inspections are conducted regularly to ensure that food is safe, facilities are clean and that good food handling practices are followed. To start a food vehicle business, review our construction guides or contact the Vehicle Program at (714) 433-6416. 

  

Illness Prevention and Response Section

The Illness Prevention & Response Section reviews special food processes and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plans to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. The Illness Prevention & Response Section works closely with our clients to review policies and procedures to decrease unacceptable public health risks in retail food facilities. The Illness Prevention & Response Section also responds to reports of foodborne illnesses. Individual cases, as well as outbreaks are investigated in accordance with protocols. Outbreak investigations are conducted with the aid of Orange County Epidemiology and Assessment, and other state and federal jurisdictions as needed. For more information, or to report a foodborne illness, please call (714) 433-6418, email fillness@ochca.com, or fill out this form.

  

Wholesale

The Wholesale Program ensures the safety of food distributed to other businesses. Wholesalers generally do not sell directly to consumers. These include food manufacturers, warehouses, distributors, packing houses, bakeries, meat-processing/packaging, co-packers, bottling, canning, vending machines, and food salvagers. In order to start a wholesale business, plans need to be submitted.  For more information on submitting plans and obtaining a health permit, please visit us at http://ocfoodinfo.com/wholesale/ or call (714) 493-5342.