Food Safety

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Restaurant & Food Establishment Inspections

Man inspecting food facility

Denver is the host to approximately 5,000 food businesses. These businesses include restaurants, bars, convenience stores, bakeries, dairies, grocery stores, and much more. The Food Safety Program is designed to reduce the incidence of food-borne disease, commonly called food poisoning, through inspection of food businesses, education of those working with food, investigation of complaints, enforcement of regulations that affect the safety of food, and education of consumers about food safety.

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Inspections

Restaurant & Food
Establishment Compliance

Resources & Forms

Consumer Food Safety

Serving Food Safely for Large Groups

Listeriosis & Pregnancy: A Food Safety Concern

Top 5 Foodborne Illness Risk Factors- English

Top 5 Foodborne Illness Risk Factors - French

Consumer Advisories on Menus

Food-borne Illness Information

FDA Bad Bug Book - This handbook provides basic facts regarding food-borne pathogenic microorganisms and natural toxins. It brings together in one place information from the Food & Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service, and the National Institutes of Health.

Food-borne Illness Investigations

Food borne illness is a result of eating contaminated food that harbors enough disease causing bacteria or viruses to make you ill.

Food-borne illness (FBI) is not necessarily from the last meal eaten and can occur as long as 45 days after eating contaminated food. Typically, an FBI occurs three hours to three days after eating contaminated food. Biological samples and food samples may be collected for some illnesses that result from food. The symptoms of food-borne illness can mimic the same symptoms as those caused by the flu and include, but are not limited to: nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, chills, body aches, head ache, and dehydration. Additional information about communicable diseases is available on the web site for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Specialized investigations are conducted for complaints related to illness from a suspected food or beverage. Complainants are interviewed about their symptoms to help determine the cause of the illness. If you believe your are suffering from a foodborne illness, please contact us at 311 (Denver Residents), 720-913-1311 (Outside the Denver Metro Area) or phicomments@denvergov.org

An inspector who specializes in these investigations will contact you regarding your concern. Be prepared to provide information including meals eaten in the 3 days leading up to the illness, the symptoms and when each one started, interactive activities, employment, travel, and contact with other people who are ill. The department appreciates the time and cooperation of those who report food-borne illnesses.

Food Safety for Older Adults

Food Safety Education Information

The Public Health Investigations division offers many forms of educational resources.

2020 Basic Food Safety Classes

Classes are also available to be taught in your restaurant by request for a flat fee of $250.

An online food safety course is available for $10 at State Food Safety.com.

In addition, the documents below can help you develop and implement effective food safety systems in your establishment.

*Now through April 30th, ServSafe is offering free food safety courses to help you provide food to your customers safely.

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) & Specialized Process

Reduced Oxygen Packaging HACCP example template

Time as a Public Health Control Application

HACCP Plan Requirements in a Retail Food Establishment

Sample Production Flow Chart for HACCP

Sample Critical Control Points Decision Tree for HACCP

Critial Control Point Summary Chart

Managing Food Safety - An Operators Manual for Applying HACCP

Sample Logs for HACCP

Vertical Boiler Guidelines

Prime Rib Guidance

Miscellaneous Food Information

FDA Food Labeling Guide
A Pocket Guide to Can Defects
Service Animals & the ADA

PHI Customer Service Survey

The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) mission is to empower Denver’s communities to live better, longer. The Public Health Inspections Division, a division of DDPHE, meets this mission by educating people who work in regulated industries and settings, investigating public health hazards, and enforcing public health laws. It is our goal to serve all citizens and customers with respect, transparency and professionalism in a timely manner. Your feedback is critical in helping us achieve our goals. Please take a moment to complete the PHI Customer Service Survey below.

Take an anonymous survey to let us know how your most recent inspection went.

Por favor, visite http://surveymonkey.com/s/foodinspectionsurveyespanol para completar una encuesta breve y proporcionarnos realimentación sobre esta inspección.

What's New?

Read and Download the Public Health Order Compliance Monitoring Protocol
Effective April 27th, Farmers markets are considered critical businesses.
Now through April 30th, ServSafe is offering free food safety courses to help you provide food to your customers safely.
New Foodborne Illness Complaint form. Complete and submit the form online!
Updated requirements for selling kava supplements in retail food establishments. Learn more about the requirements (PDF).
Food Donation Guidelines for Licensed Food Facilities (PDF)
- Food Donation Guidelines Supplemental Information (PDF)
Sanitation Guidance for the marijuana industry:
- for Marijuana Centers & Stores (PDF)
- for Marijuana Product Manufacturers (PDF)
- for Marijuana Cultivators (PDF)
New Affidavit of Commissary form. The PDF form is now fillable!
Effective immediately, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) Public Health Inspections Division is restricting the sale or service of kratom for human consumption in Denver. Learn more about kratom restrictions.
In recent months, Denver has seen an increase in the sale of cannabidiol (CBD) products for human consumption. Find out more.
- View the presentation (PDF)

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Denver Public Health Inspections

Subscribe to the Mobile Food Newsletter!

PHI's Mobile Food News quarterly newsletter is intended to keep the food truck and food cart industry informed about upcoming events, health and safety requirements, and helpful tips to keep mobile food units running safely.