Hours of Operation:
Office Hours: Monday – Friday – 8:15 am – 4:45 pm
Service Hours: Monday – Friday – 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Mission
The Food Safety and Hygiene Inspection Services Division (FSHISD) makes certain that residents and visitors to the Nation's Capital consume safe and wholesome food. The Division protects the public health and safety of the residents and visitors in the District by ensuring the safety of the food supply and ensuring the sanitation of non-food health facilities through inspections, enforcement, education and training. The Division administers an inspection program to address risk factors known to contribute to food-borne illness. Staff enforces regulations that reduce the risk of food borne illness, ensures food products are honestly and accurately represented and promotes public and industry awareness and understanding of legal requirements and responsibilities of the food establishments and other non-food health facilities.
District Council members reviewed and approved legislation commonly known as the District Food Code. The Food Code became effective May 2, 2002 and required standardized training and inspections that evaluated the food facility holistically, including environmental factors, rather than focusing on individual components. Staff began the implementation of the District Food Code on October 1, 2005 with two additional phase-ins. Enforcement was phased in on June 1, 2006, and collections of the fees for service became effective on December 15, 2006. Staff from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consider the District program to be an exceptional one with excellent training, inspection standards and enforcement tools. In addition, the staff inspects health-related establishments such as spas, beauty and barber shops, and braiding, manicuring and massage parlors to protect and preserve public health. Staff members coordinate and cooperate with other government, industry and private and public entities to accomplish their goals.
Program Description
The Food Safety and Hygiene Inspection Services Division inspects the city's 4,700 food establishments. Those food establishments include boarding homes, commission merchants, dairies, delicatessens, bakeries, candy manufacturers, grocery stores, retail markets, ice cream manufacturers, restaurants, wholesale markets, mobile vendors and hotels. The staff for the program includes 17 sanitarians, two supervisors, a program manager, and a food technologist.
Food-borne infections and intoxications affect millions of Americans every year. The Food Safety and Hygiene Inspection Services Division offers educational, informational, and consultative sessions for community and industry groups.
To file a complaint against a food establishment or a non-food establishment, select the complaints link below.