Food Service
Food Handler Certification & Training
As of January 1, 2005, the Indiana State Department of Health requires that at least one person in each food establishment, who oversees food safety operations, be a "certified food handler" unless exempted by 410 IAC 7-22.
Retail food establishments in Switzerland County are inspected two to four times a year at a minimum. Schools are inspected twice a year. Temporary food establishments are inspected prior to operation. Establishments who fail to comply with Retail Food Establishment Sanitation Requirements may be assessed penalty fees ranging from $0 to $1,000.
A Mobile Unit means any Retail Food Establishment without a fixed location which is capable of being readily moved intact from location to location that is wheeled, on skids, mounted on a vehicle, a marine vessel, pushcart or trailer.
The increase in the popularity of roadside stands and farmer’s market has led to an exponential increase in vendors supporting local foods. The Indiana Legislature continued to encourage this increase by passing the House Enrollment Act 1309 in 2009 making it possible for individuals to prepare certain foods out of their homes as a Home Based Vendor (HBV).
To start a retail food business requires careful planning, knowledge of food safety, and skillful management, in addition to knowledge of Indiana Food laws and any federal regulations. The Indiana Administrative Code (IAC) under 410 IAC 7-24-79 defines a “retail food establishment” as “an operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends, or otherwise provides food for human consumption”. The term includes a delivery service or a mobile or temporary facility where consumption is on or off the premises, and regardless of whether there is a charge for the food. These are a few examples: a restaurant, a catering operation, a grocery store, a tavern, or a food bank.