This website has been developed for you so that you may know more about the food service establishments in Teton County from the perspective of safe food handling, or "food safety." Food establishments that sell or serve food to the public must have a State of Wyoming Food License and be inspected. Inspections are based on compliance with the Teton Health District Rules for Food Safety 2014.  These establishments include restaurants, bars, convenience stores, delis, grocery stores, bed and breakfasts, schools and more.

There are more than 300 food establishments licensed and inspected by Teton County Public Health. The majority of these establishments have two unannounced inspections per year. Other establishments may receive more or fewer inspections based on a risk assessment done by environmental health specialists.

The purpose of the inspections is to verify that the food is being handled properly from receiving, through preparation and serving. Inspectors observe kitchen workers' food handling practices, check to make sure that equipment is working properly, take food temperatures, inspect refrigerators and storage areas, and test sanitizers to ensure that they are being used properly and that they are at the right concentrations. Any problem that is found is written up as a violation and the manager is taught the correct procedure or method to fix the violation.

There are two types of violations recorded on the inspection report.

• "Critical violations"are those food handling practices that, when not done properly, are most likely to lead to food borne illnesses. These food handling practices include:
  • Controlling temperature, such as cooking meats to the right temperature to kill pathogens (i.e. Salmonella)
  • Keeping food hot or cold enough until it is served
  • Cooling food properly
  • Washing hands and using utensils instead of bare hands on "ready to eat" food
  • Controlling cross contamination by storing raw foods below ready to eat foods
  • Proper use of sanitizer’s in food preparation
  • Proper storage of chemicals away from food storage areas
  • Eliminating pests such as rodents or insects from food establishments
• "Non-critical violations"are primarily maintenance and sanitation issues that are less likely to be the cause of a food borne illness.

Whenever possible, violations found during the inspection are corrected immediately. Most red critical items found during the inspection must be corrected immediately. Examples would be re-heating a food to 165° F, putting food into the refrigerator, or discarding the food. If a violation cannot be corrected immediately, establishments are given ten days to correct the problem. In order to verify that the violation has been corrected, follow-up inspection(s) are completed by the department.

This website is part of Teton County Public Health’s commitment to providing useful public information in a manner that is convenient to our citizens. To see older inspections please visit our office at 460 East Pearl Avenue.  If you have questions about our food safety program, please contact us at 307-732-8490. We hope that you will find this information helpful and easy to use.