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COMING JULY 2025: NEW FOOD SAFETY SIGNAGE
Starting July 1, 2025, Kitsap Public Health District will require all permanent food service establishments to post new food safety inspection rating signs in places that can be easily seen by customers. The new signs will make it easier for customers to understand inspection results.
WHY IS THE HEALTH DISTRICT INTRODUCING NEW SIGNAGE?
By clearly communicating inspection results, we can help customers make decisions to protect their health, improve food safety in food establishments overall, and a reduce foodborne illness and outbreaks, complaints, and reinspections.
Similar systems are already used in King and Pierce counties.
What will be on the new signs?
Graphics (emojis) and simple text will be used to clearly communicate food safety inspection results to customers.
Color-coded graphics and text will represent average inspection scores from recent routine inspections:
- Best: No violations observed (100% average score)
- Great: A few number of violations observed
- Okay: A number of violations ovserved.
- Needs to improve: The establishment is on probation due to violations. They will be inspected more frequently.
- We are still new: No rating will be displayed for establishments until they have received inspections
How often do restaurants get inspected?
Food establishments are inspected once or twice per year depending on how complex their menu is. We visit more often if violations were noted during a previous inspection. Results from inspections are posted on our website.
What do you look for during an inspection?
During inspections, we focus on "critical violations:" unsafe food handling practices that can make people sick. Examples of critical violations include food workers touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands, not keeping food cold or hot enough, or a food worker preparing food when they are sick.
We focus less on non-critical violations because they are less likely to lead to foodborne illness. Sticky tables, greasy floors, or a leaky sink are examples of non-critical violations.
Critical violations are listed in red in online inspections reports. Non-critical violations are listed in blue.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN INSPECTOR FINDS A FOOD SAFETY VIOLATION?
When critical violations are found during an inspection, our inspector works with the operator to ensure the violations are corrected before the inspector leaves. Establishments can be reinspected to make sure violations remain corrected over time. If there is a critical violation that could cause immediate harm to public health and cannot be corrected while the inspector is on site, we will close the establishment until corrections are made.
What food establishments need to post signs?
All retail food establishments in Kitsap need to post the signs in spots that are easily seen by the customer. Retail establishments are restaurants, bakeries, food trucks, caterers, grocery stores, coffee stands, taverns, wineries, demonstrators, and schools. Temporary food establishments, like a booth at a farmers market or fair, do receive food safety inspections but will not have to post signs.
ARE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS REQUIRED TO POST SIGNS?
Yes. Food establishments will be required to post the new signs after July 1, 2025. Food establishments are already required to post signs with a link to view food inspection reports online. Food inspectors will check for signage as part of their routine inspections.
If you have questions or feedback, please contact pio@kitsappublichealth.org or call 360-728-2235.