Since food is one of the most common ways of spreading disease, a major environmental health effort is devoted to ensuring that the food you eat is safe and wholesome.  The goal is to prevent such food-borne diseases as Salmonella, infectious hepatitis, and the often-fatal botulism. 

In a food service establishment - whether a restaurant, school cafeteria, or a carnival hotdog stand - sanitarians inspect to see that food is properly stored, prepared and served.  the sanitarian checks to see that each facility is designed with health rules and regulations in mind, and that each has a safe water supply and waste disposal system

Often, an inspection visit becomes an on-the-spot lesson in food hygiene taught by the sanitarian.  In addition, the county health units conduct or sponsor training programs for food service managers.  Sanitarians also inspect food processing plants, such as canneries, bottling plants and juice processing plants, grocery stores, meat and fish markets and slaughterhouses.  The goal, once again, is to ensure that safe and hygienic practices are followed.

Environmental health workers investigate outbreaks of food-related illnesses and impound or destroy contaminated food products.  They have authority to order corrective measures to ensure safe processing, storage, preparation and serving of food

Disclaimer