COUNTY OF MONTEREY
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Nationally Accredited for Providing Quality Health Services
News
-
Puppy Stolen from County Shelter; Staff Asking for Public’s Help
Monterey County Animal Services is asking for the public’s help to find a puppy that was stolen from the county shelter on Hitchcock Road Friday night, September 14th.
9/16/2018
-
Big Safety Testing Failure Rate For California Pot Products – CBS San Francisco
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nearly 20 percent of marijuana products in California have failed tests for potency and purity since the state started requiring the checks on July 1, a failure rate some in the industry say has more to do with unrealistic standards and technical glitches than protecting consumer safety.
9/14/2018 1:49:02 PM
-
Illegal Dumping - A Growing Problem We Can Solve
Illegal dumping costs California taxpayers millions of dollars every year . In Monterey County, cleaning up illegally dumped mattresses, televisions, and other household furniture and trash is not only expensive for local governments, it is expensive for private property owners who become victim to illegal dumping; rural land owners, particularly farmers and ranchers, share a high burden of these costs.
9/10/2018 11:25:00 AM
Gold Seal Program
loading...
Gold Seal Restaurant or Food Facility Search
Interested in seeing if a Restaurant or Food Facility has a Gold Seal? Click here to search!What is the Gold Seal Program?
- A program developed by the Environmental Health Food Protection Program in collaboration with the food industry.
- A posting for Public Notification Inspection Seal for qualifying retail food facilities in compliance with state laws.
- Restaurants, food preparation facilities that have met rigid food safety standards.
- Awarded after a routine inspection has been conducted and with discretion of the inspector.
- Certain Criteria in Inspection Report must be met to qualify for seal.
- The program is voluntary for food facilities.
- Evaluation program rather than a grading system compared to other counties.
What is the purpose of the Gold Seal Program
The Gold Seal helps consumers identify facilities that meet or exceed health standards based on state laws. The seal is awarded to food operators for maintaining exceptional health and sanitation standards at the facility. It serves as a handy tool “eye opener” for public and food facility operators to be aware of education of food safety and food borne illnesses. It helps to promote:- A sense of security to eat at the restaurant
- Food facilities to take immediate action on complaints
- Valuable feedback for public and food facilities.
- Involvement between customers and restaurants
- There is always room for improvement
How do restaurants obtain a Gold Seal?
If a facility has been determined to be in substantial compliance with the California Retail Food Code following a complete unannounced inspection conducted by a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS), they may be eligible. The Inspector will then sign and date the Gold Seal and issue it to the facility. The seal will remain valid until the next inspection or based on the discretion of the inspector.
Inspection Report Criteria
Substantial Compliance is the following:- No major violations (red font) as listed on the inspection report filled out by the inspector
- Demonstration of food safety knowledge
- Employee Health and Hygiene Practices
- Time and Temperature Relationships
- Protection from Contamination
- Food from Approved Sources and Conformance with Approved Procedures
- High Susceptible Pop., Water/Hot Water
- Liquid Waste Disposal/Storm Water Compliance
- No more than 5 other violations or at the discretion of the department.
- Supervision, Personal Cleanliness, General Food Safety Requirements
- Food Storage/Display/Service, Equipment/Utensils/Linens
- Physical Facilities: plumbing, garbage, toilet facilities
- Permanent Food Facilities: floors, walls and ceilings
- Signs Requirements/Compliance and Enforcement
Examples of Substantial Compliance with food standards at a facility.
- Holding temperatures within 5 F out of the temperature danger zone (41 F- 135 F) for potentially hazardous foods.
- Cooking temperatures meeting regulatory requirements
- Proper Employee Hygiene and food handling
What does a Gold Seal look like and what does it say?
"This food facility was inspected by Monterey County Health Department Environmental Health Division and found to be in substantial compliance with California food safety and sanitation standards.”
Revocation of Gold Seal
The gold seal is withdrawn if any of the following occurs:
- If facility is determined not to be in substantial compliance with food standards, the seal will be withdrawn and will not be replaced until the facility is again determined to meet state laws.
- Due to non-compliance and the facility is ordered to close.
- If the facility’s permit is temporarily suspended or revoked due to an immediate danger to the public health.
- Only a REHS may remove the seal from a facility.
Questions and Answers
If you have any questions or need more information, you can call or visit any of our offices below:Monday – Friday 8 AM to 5 PM
Salinas Office
1270 Natividad Road
Salinas, CA 93906
Telephone:(831) 755-4505
Monterey Office
1200 Aguajito Road
Monterey, CA 93940
Telephone: (831) 647-7654
King City Office
620 Broadway St., Ste. 70
King City, CA 93930
Telephone:(831) 755-4505