{"id":8984,"date":"2022-03-23T15:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T19:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/?p=8984"},"modified":"2025-02-11T14:28:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T19:28:40","slug":"career-spotlights-what-is-a-food-inspector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/career-spotlights-what-is-a-food-inspector\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Spotlights: What is a Food Inspector?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author: Aiva Tavascia<\/p>\n

Editor: Rayna Almas<\/p>\n

Graphic Designer: Emily Sheng<\/p>\n

Publisher: Jumana Ismail<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I<\/span>f you\u2019ve ever worked in a restaurant, as many young people do for their first jobs, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve heard of, or even interacted with, a food inspector. They are the folks who come by every once in a while (usually once or twice a year) to ensure that the place is following food safe procedures. But it\u2019s not just restaurants that deal with food inspection – it\u2019s important at every stage in which food is prepared, handled, and\/or stored.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is food safety?\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFood safety refers to routines in the preparation, handling, and storage of food meant to prevent foodborne illness and injury.\u201d (Sesotec, 2020)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Source: www.sandiaseed.com<\/p><\/div>\n

There are a number of health hazards that can pop up all the way from farm to fork (see the Food\u2019s Journey blog post here), which makes safe food handling an absolute requirement for the health of consumers. And the need for food safety is only becoming more pronounced in our globalized world, because there are more and more steps along the food chain, meaning more opportunities for mishandling of food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It used to be that most people obtained their food via one of the first three options in the graphic (see left, from <\/span>www.sandiaseed.com<\/span><\/a>); nowadays, most people get their food via one of the final two methods, as well as dine-in restaurants. More steps in the chain means more opportunities for food to become unsafe for human consumption.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read a deep dive into food safety.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is a food inspector, then?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A food inspector is a food safety professional who evaluates the food safe management system of an establishment – a food production facility, food processing plant, restaurant, or other places along the food value chain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The main job of a food inspector is to uphold food laws and rules set by food agencies and the government. This can look like a lot of different things depending on the location and facility. The most important requirement is that the food inspector hold an impartial opinion about your operations; that is, they are looking only at the facts and not at how they might feel (positive or negative) about the establishment. You can imagine how much a restaurant inspection would be compromised if the food inspector was a childhood friend of the owner, for example. Professionality is a key piece of the puzzle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) works at federally and provincially registered slaughterhouses, plants, or inspection laboratories, focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, grain, meat, and fish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Restaurant and food service inspectors fall into a different category, and are typically employed by provincial governments, municipalities, and public health units. They inspect facilities to verify safe food handling practices, and can be called in due to complaints or on a regular scheduled basis for standard check-ins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Below are some of the main tasks of a food inspector:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n