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MCESD announces Food Safety Educational Month highlighting commitment to
food safety
When you sit down to enjoy a meal at your
favorite restaurant, do you ever think about the countless efforts made by
restaurateurs, food operators and Maricopa County Environmental Health
Specialists to ensure your food is safe to eat?
September is National Food Safety Month (NFSM)
and Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (MCESD) has joined with local
organizations and food industry partners have joined to remind the public of
our ongoing commitment to food safety.
NFSM is a time for food safety professionals
to enlighten the public on their daily focus on food safety and to help educate
consumers on current food safety initiatives. It also serves as a great
reminder about the importance of maintaining food safety best practices year
round.
“Food Safety is
every food operator’s goal and is in the best interest of every person and
family”, said Steven Goode, Maricopa County Environmental Services Department
director. “From the family kitchen in your home, to the commercial kitchen at a
restaurant, food safety should never be overlooked”.
By practicing safe food handling, illnesses
and fatalities can be prevented.
“According to the
CDC, an estimated 48 million cases of disease, 128,000 hospitalizations and
3,000 deaths related to foodborne illness occur each year in the United States.
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department works with operators to make
sure the food we eat is safe”, added Andy Linton, MCESD Environmental Health
Division manager.
 This year, MCESD will focus on food safety topics related to most commonly occurring violations found here in Maricopa County. At the same time, Maricopa County will also be highlighting the National Food Safety Month theme: “Notorious Virus”! exploring some of the leading causes of foodborne illness – Norovirus and Hepatitis A.
Different training tools and resources will be made available each week including activities, trainings and classes, social media messages & tips, educational materials, and videos. The themes for each week include:
- Week 1: Food Safety – Current situation
- Week 2: Cold Holding
- Week 3: Allergens
- Week 4: Hand washing
- Week 5: Cutting Edge
Representatives from MCESD’s partnering organizations - the Chinese Restaurant Association, the Arizona Restaurant Association, the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, the Phoenix Street Food Coalition, and Union Pochteca – will be sharing messages through social media and other outlets highlighting the importance of these topics for industry and the public.
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 The National Food Safety Month (NFSM) was created in the US in 1995 by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) to heighten the awareness about the importance of food safety education. As the global food economy experienced massive growth in the mid-eighties, so did the complexity of the food supply chain. That made it harder than ever for restaurants and other facilities to ensure the quality of their product. Today, food safety testing is a regular part of many food facilities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration partner each year (during NFSM) in developing and sharing educational materials and tools to help promote the importance of Food Safety.
For more information on Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, please call (602) 506-6616 or visit esd.maricopa.gov.
Remember to follow us and #NFSM . Just "Like" us and retweet and share our tips, information and #foodsafety reminders by joining us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with our hashtags:
#ESD #MCESD and #foodsafetymaricopa
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 No prior registration required for the Mobile Food Business class. If questions,
please call 602.506.6872.
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 More than 110 counties and organizations in 32 states won NACo Achievement Awards in 2016 presented by the National Association of Counties (NACo). Maricopa County collected 57 NACo Awards, more than any other county in the nation!
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors recently honored the county's winners in a special Achievement Awards Ceremony.
Our Environmental Services Department was honored with two of these national Awards!
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We thank NACo for honoring our efforts as we work with our community in
ensuring a safe and healthy environment.
NACO Award ~ Mobile Restaurant Ratings Tool
 The Maricopa County Environmental Services Department maintains inspection results from food establishments such as restaurants, retail stores, school cafeterias, and mobile food trucks. In August 2015, these inspection results were made available to the public through a new Mobile Restaurant Ratings tool. In addition to being mobile-friendly, this tool provides users with the ability to search geospatial enriched data, file a citizen complaint, and learn more about the ESD’s Cutting Edge Food Safety Partnership program.
 Since launching the Mobile Restaurant Ratings tool, there has been a 17% increase in the number of hits related to inspection results and the enrollment rate for the Cutting Edge program has doubled. The entire process took nine months to launch and was accomplished in-house, using minimal monetary resources. Facilitating access to inspection results has increased the public’s ability to make informed choices, and encouraged businesses to work towards reducing the risk of foodborne illness.
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NACO Award ~ Stormwater Quality Program, School Outreach Program in the category of Children and Youth.
The permit issued by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality requires Maricopa County to conduct a minimum amount of outreach activities to achieve compliance.
 In FY2015, Maricopa County developed the School Outreach Program, which robustly incorporates a mascot, Sam the Salamander, slogan, and multiple grade educational lessons to ramp up school age stormwater education that now outperforms permit requirements of conducting minimal classroom training.
The School Outreach Program’s goal is to increase demand for stormwater school training; thereby, increasing numbers of students trained. Alignment with the Arizona Science State Standard was achieved, which seamlessly meshes stormwater lessons with grade specific school curriculums. This seamless approach to outreach and education has uniquely created an atmosphere of learning for kindergarten through eighth grade students. Since FY2015, demand for the School Outreach Program continues to increase. School Outreach Program success is measured by the rise in teacher class requests and the surge of school age children trained.
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 In
accordance with the requirements of Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System General Permit for Discharge from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
Systems (MS4s) to Waters of the United States (permit no. AZG2002-002),
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department has prepared a Stormwater
Management Plan Annual Report for submittal to the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality. The County’s Stormwater Management Plan Annual Report will
be available for review at a public meeting/open house.
DATE: Tuesday,
September 20, 2016
TIME: 9:00 AM
– 12 PM
LOCATION: 301
W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, Arizona 85003, 2nd Floor
For
questions or additional information, call (602) 506-5557
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Stakeholder meetings for the Department’s Swimming Pool,
Onsite Wastewater and Subdivision Infrastructure regulatory programs are
scheduled for October, as listed below. These meetings were recommended
by our 2015 Stakeholder Task Force.
At each meeting, program staff will present a summary of
current issues regarding their program, including changes and challenges. There will be ample time allocated for
stakeholders to present their concerns, suggestions or questions regarding program
activities.
The meetings will all take place at the Department Offices,
1001 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 5th floor classroom. Free visitor parking is available in the
adjacent parking structure.
 Stakeholder Meeting Dates
Subdivision Infrastructure (Water and wastewater distribution and collection, appurtenances and health certificates): Tuesday, October 6, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Onsite Wastewater (Site evaluation, plan review and construction inspection for new or remodeled onsite wastewater facilities, such as septic tank systems): Tuesday, October 20, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Swimming Pool (Public and Semi-Public Bathing Place Plan Review, Construction Inspection and Operational Compliance Inspections): Tuesday, October 27, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
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 Mosquitoes have a serious impact on the health, comfort, and economic welfare of people. Some species transmit diseases to man and animals. While Maricopa County Environmental Services Department conducts an aggressive year-round mosquito surveillance and abatement program, everyone is responsible for eliminating and preventing mosquito breeding on their property:
There are simple things you can do:
1. Get rid of all standing water on your premises.
Discard unnecessary containers, including old tires, that may catch and hold water. Drain horse troughs, bird baths, small ponds, etc., weekly or add mosquito fish (available free from Maricopa County Vector Control, call for availability) to any permanent body of water. Repair any water leak, hose, sprinkler system, or cooler that may cause water to pond.
2. Control your irrigation. Don't over irrigate.
Fill low spots and level your yard or pasture. Water should never stand more than three days, even in tree wells. Ditches and culverts should be designed to drain out when not in use. Ditch banks and tailwater ponds should be kept free of vegetation and floating debris. If underground irrigation system does not drain, prevent mosquito entrance by closing valves and providing tight covers or screens on standpipes between irrigations.
3. Make sure swimming pools and decorative ponds are well-kept and working properly. Drain unused coolers, water closets, wading pools or any unused equipment that may be holding water accessible to mosquitoes.
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 It is also important to avoid mosquito bites. Wear insect repellant following label instructions and while outdoors, wear light-colored clothing and cover yourself as much as possible with long sleeves and long pants.
If you notice adult mosquitoes or mosquito breeding in your area, contact Maricopa County Environmental Services Department and submit a complaint so we can investigate. As we learn about mosquito-related problems we will respond to complaints and set-up mosquito traps in those areas that we may not be already monitoring.
For more information, you may call: (602) 506-0700 or visit: FightTheBiteMaricopa.org
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 Follow Us, Like Us, Watch Us and More!
Maricopa County Environmental Services department is constantly working to make effective use of social media. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and now also on Pinterest!
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