Inspections of all retail food facilities are done yearly, and in some cases more than once per year. Unannounced inspections are conducted for restaurants, school cafeterias, hospital and nursing home cafeterias, grocery stores, convenience stores, fairgrounds, resorts, food trucks, festivals and any event or facility where food is sold to the public.
Melissa Mathews conducts about 145 retail food facility inspections every year for Montezuma and Dolores counties as the Health Department’s environmental health specialist.
The inspections are completed on-site and include compliance standards set by the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. The categories are divided into critical and noncritical health standards specific to retail food facilities.
Critical areas are those that if not in compliance may cause foodborne illnesses. The categories include food sources, personnel, food temperature-control, sanitation, water systems and plumbing, hand-washing facilities, pest control and poisonous or toxic items.
Noncritical areas are important, but have less risk of causing foodborne illnesses. The categories include food labeling and protection, equipment design and construction, testing devices, cleaning of equipment utensils and linens, and physical facilities.
Under Colorado law, any retail food customer can ask an establishment for its latest inspection report, and the facility is required to provide it, Mathews said.
La Casita de Cortez332 Main St., Cortez
date: June 4, 1.6 hours
Critical violations: 0
Non Critical violations: 0
Giant No. 260921 Main St., Cortez
date: June 5, .5 hours
Critical violations: 0
non critical violations: 0
Majestic Dude Ranch42688 County Road N, Mancos
date: June 7, 1.5 hours
Critical violations:0
non critical violations: 0