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 The San Diego county Wholesale Food Warehouse Inspection Program was implemented in 2003 after the Wholesale Food Warehouse Ordinance was enacted by the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors and was adopted by all municipalities in the county. The ordinance was created with the collaboration of the representatives from both the retail and wholesale food industries partners. This was initiated because risk assessments of the Department of Environmental Health’s retail food facility inspection program identified food safety concerns associated with possibly contaminated food products and products obtained from unapproved sources. Consequently, the wholesale food warehouse inspection and enforcement program under the authority of Department of Environmental Health (DEH) was established, including a mandatory annual health permit fee, plan check requirement and food handling regulations applicable to every wholesale food warehouses in the county.
At present there are about a hundred wholesale food warehouses that have current health permits and inspected at least two times a year by a team of Registered Environmental Health Specialists. The risk-based inspection system focuses on checking food safety factors that include but not limited to temperature control, food sources, food storage/protection, employee health and hygiene, vermin control and good wholesale practices.
The Wholesale Food Warehouse Risk Control Workbook was developed by DEH’s Food and Housing Division to aid the warehouse owners and managers in their operation. This is provided free of charge to warehouse operators, with the expectation that the general recommendations in the workbook are applied in their facilities. This guidance document provides information on how to develop and implement a risk control plan. A risk control plan helps to identify and mitigate food safety and security risks. It also helps to prepare wholesale food warehouse operators to quickly and efficiently respond to recalls. In general, a risk control plan includes procedures for addressing the following areas: temperature control, approved food sources, food storage, receiving, transportation and delivery, food security, food recalls, traceback/ traceforward procedures, employee practices, sanitation, pest/vermin control, self inspection/verification and recordkeeping. In addition to providing the workbook, DEH, also holds annual classroom training to warehouse operators on risk control, food recall procedures and other food safety issues. Please visit our website at http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/deh/food/pdf/publications_wholesaleworkbook.pdf to download a free copy of our Wholesale Food Warehouse Risk Control Plan Workbook.
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