Eagerly awaiting restaurant placarding? Here are the next best things.

March 11, 2016.Reading time 9 minutes.

A little over a year ago we wrote about the challenges of developing a fair and reliable placarding system for restaurants (read it now!). You see, not all placarding systems work the same way. We did some research to find out what other jurisdictions do, and we identified some areas for improvement as we develop […]

Fresh Starts: A new model for permitting farmers markets & temporary events

February 26, 2016.Reading time 7 minutes.

King County is home to over 40 farmers markets and nearly 3,000 temporary events, where people can buy locally grown fruits and vegetables, artisan cheeses, honey, fresh-baked bread, and many more nutritious items from area vendors. Public Health supports local farmers and vendors in a number of ways. We promote initiatives that make farmers market […]

Public Health shares more foodborne illness outbreak information in 2016

January 22, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

We revealed our new process for sharing foodborne illness outbreak information with you.

How I almost poisoned my family with holiday leftovers

December 28, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

A white bean and vegetable soup seemed the perfect use of the last of the remaining ham from the holidays. I felt pretty pleased with myself for cooking it two days before parents came for a visit–that would give it the right amount of time to reach full flavor, and it would be ready to heat when […]

Chipotle in South Lake Union closed for repeated food safety violations (UPDATED)

December 10, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

Update 12-11-15 4:58 p.m.: Westlake Chipotle approved for re-opening. This restaurant’s permit was suspended because hot food was not being kept above 130 degrees. Temperature control problems are fixed. UPDATE 12/10/15, 4:57 pm: Since the closures in November, our Food Safety Program has monitored all Chipotle restaurants closely, providing routine inspections. During this time nine Chipotle restaurants […]

Norovirus outbreak investigation in downtown Seattle building (UPDATED)

December 5, 2015.Reading time 6 minutes.

UPDATE 12/9/15 This morning, our food protection program staff re-inspected all of the food establishments in the building and cleared them to re-open. We are requiring the food establishments and building management to use a daily cleaning and sanitation log for the next 14 days. We are not collecting more data on the magnitude of the outbreak at this point. […]