Eau Claire City-County Health Department. An accredited Health Department by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) - Advancing public health performance.

Food Protection

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View our Restaurant and Food Inspection Reports

Inspections & Investigations

Our Environmental Health Specialists inspect restaurants, gas stations, public and private schools, taverns, bakeries, grocery stores, vending machines, and food stands and trucks at events.
We also do food-borne illness investigations.

Required Licensing

All restaurants, food trucks, food stands at events, and nearly all retail food establishments must get a license before opening for business within Eau Claire County.
Temporary Foodservice Licenses are required when food is served to the public at special events and occasional sales promotions. See the "Temporary and Mobile Food Stands" section below.

Forms/Applications

Rules/Regulations

Food - Laboratory Sampling

Our inspectors take food samples and food preparation surface swabs at businesses that serve food/beverages in Eau Claire County. These are tested in the lab to find sanitation deficiencies. If sanitation deficiencies are found, one of our Environmental Health Specialists will contact the business and work with them to correct the deficiencies.

Foodborne Illness Information and Forms

About foodborne illness (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service)
Foodborne illness causing organisms (FDA handout)
Employee Illness Reporting Agreement for Food Establishments (English) (FDA)
- Illness Reporting Agreement (Spanish)
- Illness Reporting Agreement (Hmong)
Employee Illness in Food Establishments - An Action Guide For Managers (Eau Claire Health Department)

Certified Food Protection Manager Information

Food Manager Requirements (Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection)

Online Options

To obtain your Certified Food Manager certificate online you need to take a proctored exam from one of these companies. These are the only companies certified in Wisconsin.

ServSafe Online - Wisconsin Restaurant Association (wirestaurant.org) or ServSafe® - Manager
360 Training - Food Manager Certification
Always Food Safe - Food Manager Certification & Training
StateFoodSafety - Safety Manager Certification
AAA Food Handler - Wisconsin Food Manager Certification

In-person classes in the Eau Claire Area

Note: Most retail food establishments are required to have one person on staff that has their Certified Food Manager certificate. The food handler trainings that some companies provide do not meet this requirement. If you have any questions, please reach out to your routine inspector.

Tavern League of Wisconsin - National Certified Food Safety Manager Class
ServSafe - In-person Review Session & Exam (National Restuarant Association)

Information By Business Type

Temporary and Mobile Food Stands (Temporary Events)

Temporary and mobile food stands are required to get a permit or license to operate in Eau Claire City/County. Please call our main office at 715-839-4718 to find out more about the permit/licensing process.

Temporary Food Stands

This is a stand that serves food/beverages at a fixed place as part of just one event such as a fair, carnival, circus, public exhibition or anniversary sale for a period of no more than 14 consecutive days or as part of an occasional sales promotion.

Mobile Food Stands:

This is a stand that serves food/beverages from a movable vehicle, push cart, trailer, or boat that changes location.

A mobile food stand must have a service base. This is where the mobile stand returns regularly for vehicle and equipment cleaning, emptying waste containers, refilling water tanks, ice bins, and for food preparation or storage.

Schools

Each school participating in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs must set up an inspection at least twice a year for food safety. The schools must post the most recent inspection report in a place easily seen by the public and must provide a copy of the report to the public upon request.

Additional Information

Wisconsin School Food Safety (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction - DPI)
Guidance for School Authorities - Developing a School Food Safety Program (USDA)

Grocery | Convenience Stores

Bakeries

Catering

Catering means providing food for a specific event at a location away from the licensed restaurant. This is done on a prearranged basis and food is provided for a group of people, such as wedding guests or conference attendees. Catering does not include the sale of individual meals directly to the public.

Food and equipment must be stored at the licensed business (not in the caterer's home).
Food must be prepared at the licensed business and then taken to the private event.
Food prep at the event is limited to reheating, hot holding, cold holding, and some limited cooking such as grilling steaks or hamburgers.

Contract Cooks | Personal Chefs

A Contract Cook/Personal Chef is a person who prepares food in a private home only for members of that household and/or their houseguests for private parties.

The cook/chef is paid for their service, culinary skills, technique, or expertise.
The person hiring the cook/chef provides the food or a shopping list for the food. The cook/chef must shop for food for that private event only.
The cook/chef may only prepare the food in the private home kitchen of the person who hired them.
Bulk preparation and/or bulk storage of food to be used at more than one place, or meals served to the general public, would require the cook/chef to be licensed.
The cook/chef would also need to be licensed in order to take their prepared food from one place to another.

For more information, call our main office at 715-839-4718.

Purpose/Goals of the Food Protection Program

To assure that the public is adequately provided with food that is safe, clean, wholesome and sanitary and
To assure that the public is protected from the unnecessary spread of communicable diseases through food.

Program Description

Administer state and local regulations governing food service facilities. Complete plan reviews of all new and extensively remodeled food establishments. Conduct inspections of food service establishments and require correction of violations. Collect and test food samples to assess for food contamination using standard plate count (SPC) and coliform, which directly correlate with sanitation deficiencies. Conduct epidemiological investigations of suspected and confirmed food-borne illness cases and outbreaks. Provide consultation and information to the public and food service workers on food safety.