The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is developing a Food Premise Ratings program. As part of this process, we are asking all residents to fill out a survey on the topic. The goal of this program is to improve food safety practices, reduce the risk of foodborne illness, and raise consumer awareness of food safety.

There are between 11 -13 million cases of food-related illnesses in Canada each year. The medical costs and productivity losses are over $1 billion annually. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, most foodborne illness outbreaks in Ontario are linked to foods from food premises (CCDR v. 24-08). This is the reason we are developing a food premise ratings program. A food premise is a place where you buy food, such as a restaurant, fast food place, convenience store, and grocery store. Many communities in North America and Europe have food premise ratings programs and these programs work.

This is your chance to help create a program for our community, by our community.

As it is now, all food premises must follow the safe food handling law. Public Health Inspectors regularly inspect all food premises to see if it is following safe food practices at the time of inspection. Owners and operators must know and follow these rules at all times. The ratings system will not change these rules. A Ratings program puts a score or colour to the inspection results to help you quickly see how well a food premise followed the law at the time of inspection. The score or colour is then posted on the Health Unit website and at the food premise.

You can also fill out a survey at any of the Health Unit locations and the city/town halls for each municipality.

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