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Food safety resources for businesses
Educational resources to help restaurants prevent food-borne illnesses.
Short URL: kingcounty.gov/foodsafety/resources
Preparing and responding to emergencies and large planned events
How to report a foodborne illness
Steps for customers to take if you got sick after eating food prepared by a King County food business,
Customer food safety complaints (316 KB)
Intake form and steps food business owners and managers can take when a customer reports a foodborne illness or injury.
Protecting foods from power failures
Steps to take before and during a power outage and when the power comes back to protect food safety.
Boil water order
If you are in an area with a boil water order in place, it means that recent tests show that your water system is contaminated with organisms that can cause illness. Boiling is the best way to ensure water is free of illness-causing organisms.
Cooking safely
Cooking and pooling of eggs
Contaminated eggs can carry Salmonella enteritidis and can cause the elderly, small children and those with immune-compromised systems to get sick when consuming raw or undercooked eggs.
Safe food handling practices for food establishments
These procedures will help prevent mishandling and contamination of food, and will reduce the risk of foodborne illness at your establishment.
Specialized food processing methods
Certain food preparation steps have unique food safety risks that require extra caution to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Handwashing
Stop Germs, Stay Healthy materials
A public education campaign to encourage healthy behaviors to limit the spread of respiratory illnesses such as colds and flu.
Food code updates
Updates to the Washington State Retail Food Code
The Washington State Retail Food Code was updated on March 1, 2023. To help restaurants and businesses adapt, we’ve created a series of factsheets to help explain the changes.
Food labeling
Labeling raw and undercooked foods
Certain risky foods, often considered delicacies, are traditionally served raw or undercooked, such as Caesar salad dressing, oysters on the half shell, steak tartare, sunny-side-up eggs, medium rare hamburgers and sashimi. There are public health risks associated with eating these foods, including Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Vibrio and other bacterial and viral diseases.
Menu labeling requirements (external site)
Information from the U.S. Dept. of Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Prohibited substances
CBDs (cannabidiol) in food and beverages
In King County, the addition of CBD to food and beverages is prohibited until further guidance and approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Washington Department of Health.
Trans fat ban requirements
Learn about the requirements to eliminate artificial trans fat for King County food businesses.
Food-borne disease facts
Many food-borne diseases are reportable conditions in King County. Learn about the disease and how to protect yourself.