Food Safety & Resources

Food Protection, Inspection & Safety

Food Safety StampOne in six Americans will get sick from food poisoning this year. Most of them will recover without any lasting effects from their illness. For some, however, the effects can be devastating and even deadly. An estimated 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths per year in the U.S. are caused by foodborne illnesses.

Food poisoning (also known as foodborne illness or foodborne disease) is any illness that results from eating contaminated food.

View for more information on the different types of illness, their causes and symptoms.

Food Poisoning at a Restaurant

If you suspect you have become ill from food poisoning at a restaurant:

Symptoms from a food-borne illnesses can take anywhere from two hours to two weeks to months to occur. The health department strongly suggests that you contact your doctor as soon as you suspect food poisoning to run tests to determine if you contracted a specific disease as this greatly aids in the investigation. If you suspect food poisoning, contact Lake County Public Health Agency at 719-486-2413 to provide information on the foods consumed and their source. You may be asked to provide a food history to ensure that the illness was not obtained from another source.

Protect Your Family From Food Poisoning

Explore steps you can take at home to protect your family from food poisoning and view an interactive webpage great for kids.

For more food safety education materials check out Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Educational Campaign.

Check Your Steps - Four Simple Steps to Food Safety

StateFoodSafety.com™

Lake County Public Health's Environmental Health program has partnered with StateFoodSafety.com™ to provide Online Food Handler Training and Food Manager Training and Practice Exam. These training components help to prepare any person to take one of the three nationally accredited food manager certification exams. English and Español course content is presented using mixed media including on-screen text, video, illustrations, interactivity, and question-and-answer.

Online Lake County, CO Food Handler Training Course Learning Objectives

  • Food Handler Training Course Demo
  • Encourages a personal commitment to safe food handling behaviors.
  • Drives home the connection between food worker behavior and foodborne illness.
  • Increases commitment to maintaining good personal hygiene.
  • Teaches essential behaviors to prevent cross-contamination.
  • Provides understanding of time and temperature controls to promote workplace vigilance.
  • Encourages personal commitment to a proper response when experiencing exclusion illness symptoms.
  • Motivates food workers to use proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures.
  • Helps food workers value their role in the food safety culture.

Whether you cook for the general public or your family or yourself, the information contained in this course is beneficial for everyone who prepares food.

Online Food Manager Training Course Learning Objectives: (Demo)

  • Food Manager Training Course Demo
  • Teaches safe food handling principles at a competency level necessary for management:
    • Food borne illness identification.
    • Personal hygiene practices.
    • Time and temperature controls.
    • Cleaning and sanitizing processes.
    • Receiving and storing food.
    • Thawing, cooking, cooling and reheating food.
  • Builds an ongoing awareness of food hazards-objects, substances, pathogens and situations-that can potentially make food unsafe.
  • Enables managers to create, implement and support food safety systems.
  • Prepares managers to teach and train employees on fundamental behaviors, techniques and practices that keep food safe.
  • Develops an understanding of programs and policies that create a food safety culture.
  • Illustrates the contribution of facility design to food safety processes.
  • Provides an understanding of HACCP and the significance of critical control points.
  • Prepares the manager to pass one of the three nationally accredited manager certification exams or exhibit demonstration of knowledge.

Lake County Food Safety Newsletter

Email Kelsy Maxie to subscribe to the bimonthly Lake County Food Safety Newsletter. Past newsletters will always be available online.