Various food-handling facilities, lodging facilities, and institutions are regulated by state laws and rules. The Environmental Health Services section of the Division Of Environmental Health, (Department Of Environment And Natural Resources (DENR)) provides statewide regulatory oversight of these establishements.
Sanitation Inspections
The Food And Lodging section administers state regulatory programs
for the following: restaurants and other food-handling establishments,
meat markets, public swimming pools (more information),
child care centers, school lunchrooms, school buildings, tattoo
establishments, lodging establishments, bed and breakfast homes, bed
and breakfast inns, hospitals, nursing and rest homes, summer camps,
local confinement facility, and residential care facilities. Staff are
authorized agents of the State to enforce state laws and rules.
One function of the regulatory program is to make sanitation inspections of these facilities. You can review the latest inspection reports
(for all North Carolina counties) by following this link*. These
reports will show you the grade given and a list of items that need
attention.
* WRAL-TV receives inspection report updates (approximately
once per month) from Health Services Inspection Section (HSIS) and
posts them on their website. In the future, the Brunswick County
Environmental Health Services might elect to provide that information
for Brunswick County here.
Other Regulatory Information
Child Care Center regulatory information can be found by visiting the Department Of Environment And Natural Resources (DENR) website for Children's Environmental Health.
The State also oversees the regulation of shellfish commerce.
Shellfish sanitation rules have been established for the protection of
the public from shellfish and crustacea that could cause illness.
Shellfish sanitation rules can be found by visiting the Department Of
Environment And Natural Resources (DENR) web page for shellfish commerce.
New restaurants must obtain a permit from the local Health
Department. As part of the permit application process, prospective
owners/managers of new restaurants must submit a plan for review by the
Brunswick County Health Department. A Plan Review Application can be printed from the Department Of Environment And Natural Resources (DENR) website for Food & Lodging Plan Review.
Food Safety
Food safety is a critical concern, whether we eat at home or at a restaurant. A basic premise of food safety is keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. This Temperature Guide For Food Protection" is a handy tool to print out and keep in your kitchen. For more information about food safety, visit the food safety website.