Prevent the Spread of Illness

Understanding how to handle food safely is important to help reduce foodborne illness and disease in Snohomish County. The Washington State Department of Health has determined that many cases of illness could be prevented by four main things:

1. Wash Hands often for 10-15 seconds with soap and warm water. Make sure to wash your hands twice after using the restroom, once in the restroom and once at the handwashing sink in the kitchen. This will remove as many germs as possible.

2. No Bare Hand Contact with Ready-To-Eat foods. Use gloves, utensils, or deli papers to prevent cross contamination. Change gloves often and wash your hands each time you change your gloves.

3. Stay home if you are sick. Especially if you are experiencing symptoms like diarrhea or vomiting. The germs that cause illness are very small. The only way to ensure you won’t spread the illness on is to stay out of the kitchen.

4. Clean and Sanitize surfaces and utensils. Clean first with warm water and soap. Then use an approved sanitizer to kill germs. Change sanitizers every 2 hours.

Temporary Event Reminders

Temporary food establishment permit fees are determined by the types of food being served and the type of processes used to prepare the food. To determine which temporary food permit you need, use the checklist on the first page of the Application for Temporary Food Establishment Permit.

Turn in applications 14 days ahead of the Temporary Event to avoid a late fee. Postmarked dates will not be recognized. We accept applications in person, by mail or create an account to submit temporary food service applications online.
Make sure employees have a food worker card and that they are available during an inspection.
A hand washing station must be at each booth. It must have warm water in an insulated container with a free-flowing spigot, soap, paper towels and a wastewater bucket to catch grey water.
Sanitizer must be mixed properly and used when necessary.
As always, No Bare Hand Contact with ready-to-eat foods.
Mobile Food Units that have not been inspected and approved for use by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries will not be permitted by the Snohomish County Health Department. Please visit the L&I Food Trucks & Trailers page for more information.

For more information, go to our Temporary Food Establishment page.

Emergency Preparedness

A food service establishment must stop serving food and call the Snohomish County Health Department if they experience an emergency that could cause the food to become unsafe and affect the health of customers and employees. These health hazards include fire, flood, loss of power, loss of hot water, and sewage backup. If you experience any of these health hazards, call the Snohomish County Health Department at 425.339.5250. Your call will be forwarded to the appropriate inspector who will determine the next steps required to keep the public safe.

The inspector can also help the establishment decide which food is safe to keep and what needs to be thrown away before reopening. In general, food needs to be thrown away if it:

Has come in contact with flood water, smoke, fire, sewage or chemicals.
Is a Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) food that has been in the danger zone for more than 4 hours.
Is a frozen food that has thawed and is above 41°.
Has been partially cooked and cooking cannot be completed within 1 hour.

Non-TCS foods that are undamaged and have not had contact with flood water, smoke, fire, sewage or chemicals and frozen foods that are under 41° are more likely to be able to be saved.

Shigella

Shigella is a bacteria that can be found in raw produce, contaminated drinking water and uncooked foods. It can also be found in cooked foods that are not reheated properly after coming in contact with an infected food worker. Flies can transfer the bacteria to food that isn’t covered. People usually get sick 4-7 days after eating the bacteria. The symptoms of Shigella are abdominal pain and cramps, diarrhea, bloody stool and fever in some cases.

To reduce the chance of illness, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Make sure to cool foods properly. Use the shallow pan method and make sure that the food is uncovered and no more than two inches thick while cooling. Foods should also be reheated quickly so they can reach 165° F within two hours. These measures keep food out of the danger zone (41° F - 135° F) as much as possible and reduce the amount of time the bacteria can multiply. Other ways to prevent the spread of shigellosis is with proper hand washing and food handling, and cleaning and sanitizing surfaces frequently.

Snohomish County Small Business Assistance Program

Small Business Innovation Assistance Program

Executive Somers has announced that the County is partnering with Ventures to launch the Small Business Innovation Assistance (SBIA) program. SBIA will provide a full toolkit of technical assistance services coupled with microgrants to help Snohomish County-based small businesses recover from the effects of the pandemic as well as incentivize new, innovative ideas from start-ups and entrepreneurs. The program is funded by the County’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation.

As part of SBIA, Ventures is hosting an eight-week Business Basics Course for Snohomish County small businesses and entrepreneurs. Ventures is hosting initial information sessions for the Business Basics Course in English on Thursday, June 22 and in Spanish on Wednesday, June 21. At the free information sessions, interested small businesses and entrepreneurs can learn more about SBIA, including how to apply. Individuals can register for upcoming information sessions in English and Spanish here.

Anyone interested can find more information on SBIA, including eligibility, how to apply, and other components of the program on this website (available in English and Spanish).

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