food prepEver wonder who inspects restaurants, swimming pools and spas, and hotels to make sure they are safe for the public?  Our sanitarians and environmental health specialists and all the local county environmental health departments are the individuals that go into the field conducting these inspections.  They work with members of the public, business owners, and operators to provide education and prevent disease.

At the end of every fiscal year, our Food Safety & Environmental Services Program puts together an annual report to summarize these inspections and regulatory activities conducted throughout the state. In addition to the aforementioned facilities, the report includes information on children’s camps, campgrounds, public nuisances, and trailer coach parks and an update on cottage food, land reuse, and school gardens.  Also included is an update on foodborne illness in Arizona and highlights of outbreaks investigations in which ADHS participated. Finally, the appendixes of the report contain county specific summaries that highlight inspection activities and accomplishments for each county.

You’d probably be surprised to see that

fewer than 200 Sanitarians and Sanitarian Aides at the state and local level completed over 100,000 inspections in the last year . Take a look at the report to learn more about the great work that ADHS and the county environmental health departments do on a daily basis.