Mobile food units are vital to our communities. They create jobs, celebrate cultural diversity, and provide healthy food in areas with scarce options. However, some business owners struggle to get permits due to complex licensing, expensive commissary kitchens, language barriers, and costs.
When food trucks operate without permits, they miss out on plan reviews, food safety training, and regular inspections from our food safety program. Without these safeguards, customers might be exposed to improperly sourced, stored, and prepared foods, posing serious health risks.
The Food Protection Program is committed to helping business owners obtain permits, ensuring food safety, and boosting economic opportunities. Shutting down unpermitted trucks is crucial for public safety, but it's not just about enforcement. We also focus on helping business owners comply by:
- Expanding our outreach activities and partnerships with other agencies, associations, and organizations.
- Offering services and resources to reduce financial and informational barriers to compliance.
- Enhancing inspection services to ensure timely support for permitted vendors and provide greater consistency across inspectors.
Got any suggestions or concerns? Email us at: foodsafetystakeholders@kingcounty.gov
Eating raw or undercooked seafood like clams, oysters, and scallops can make you seriously sick. Harmful bacteria, viruses, or toxins can cause nasty foodborne illnesses.
Common risks
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Vibrio bacteria: Found in warm coastal waters. These bacteria can cause vibriosis if shellfish are raw or undercooked. Symptoms include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Vibriosis can be severe for those with weakened immune systems.
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Norovirus: Highly contagious, often in contaminated shellfish. It causes stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
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Hepatitis A: This virus, which affects the liver, is caused by contaminated shellfish. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, and jaundice.
Safety tips
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Source wisely: Buy from certified vendors. Ensure shellfish are alive. They must be received at 45°F or below and cooled to 41°F or below within four hours.
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Keep records: Keep shellstock tags until containers are empty. Note the first and last serve dates on the tag. Keep tags for 90 days.
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Cook thoroughly: Ensure an internal temperature of at least 145°F. Keep raw shellfish separate from ready-to-eat foods. Clean all surfaces and utensils after handling raw shellfish.
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Practice good hygiene: Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces before and after handling. Don’t let raw shellfish touch ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator or during preparation. Don’t put cooked foods on the same surface that holds raw seafood. Wash counters, cutting boards, and all surfaces raw seafood has touched.
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Label properly: Post a consumer advisory if serving raw shellfish: "Eating raw shellfish can lead to foodborne illness."
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Stay informed: Follow local shellfish safety advisories. Train staff on food safety for handling shellfish.
Following these tips, you can enjoy shellfish safely and avoid foodborne illnesses. Always prioritize safety for a delicious dining experience!
As a restaurant manager, it's crucial to ensure employees' and customers' health and safety. Here's how to handle employee illness to prevent the spread of foodborne diseases:
Watch for:
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Symptoms: Diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat with fever, jaundice, inflamed lesions.
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Diagnosed illnesses: Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, hepatitis A, norovirus.
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Exposure: Employees exposed to foodborne illnesses or outbreaks must get approval before returning to work.
Protocols for sick employees:
- The health department must approve employees who have been diagnosed with salmonellosis, shigellosis, E. coli, hepatitis A, norovirus, or jaundice before returning to work.
- Employees with diarrhea or vomiting must stay home for at least 24 hours after symptoms stop.
- Workers with open, draining wounds or lesions on their hands/wrists must avoid handling food or clean dishes.
Responsibilities of the PIC:
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Hygiene: Ensure frequent handwashing, wear gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods, and regularly clean and sanitize surfaces.
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Training: Regularly train staff on illness reporting, hygiene practices, and cleaning up after diarrhea and vomiting incidents.
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Illness reporting: Set clear policies and ensure all employees know to report symptoms immediately, including the type and onset date.
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Health checks: Conduct daily checks and send sick employees home. Encourage them to seek medical advice.
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Exclusion/Restriction: Follow the protocols above to exclude or restrict sick employees.
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Documentation: Keep records of illness details and actions taken.
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Stay updated: Follow Public Health – Seattle & King County regulations and report suspected outbreaks.
By following these steps, managers can ensure a safe environment and maintain high food safety standards.
 After three years, King County's COVID-19 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Program will end in June 2024. This initiative has significantly improved indoor air quality, reducing the spread of airborne viruses and promoting public health, especially in disadvantaged communities.
Key Achievements:
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HEPA Air Cleaners: Distributed over 9,000 HEPA air cleaners to restaurants, schools, childcare centers, faith-based organizations, and small businesses to reduce COVID-19 transmission.
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Technical Assistance and Outreach: Provided consultations, educational materials, and webinars, especially to high-needs sectors and BIPOC communities, ensuring equitable access to resources.
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Funding: Secured $3 million in federal COVID relief funding, extending the program's duration and impact.
Upcoming Resources:
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Best practices video: A comprehensive guide on maintaining and improving indoor air quality in various settings.
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Interactive story map: Visual and interactive insights into the program’s impact, showcasing success stories across King County.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all organizations, stakeholders, and community members for your invaluable support. Your dedication has been instrumental in advancing public health. The shared resources and knowledge will continue to benefit our community, fostering healthier indoor environments.
Public Health—Seattle & King County wants your feedback on your permit experience to help us improve our services. Your responses are anonymous and will assist in our rate renewal process, which happens every five years, to review service efficiency and costs.
Take our quick survey:
- It takes less than 2 minutes.
- Available in multiple languages. Use the language selection box in the upper right corner.
- Open through July 12.
Thank you for your participation!
A few ways to prevent food poisoning:
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Wash your hands.
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Separate foods and avoid cross-contamination.
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Cool and heat (and reheat) foods properly.
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Heat foods to the proper temperature.
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