The Food, Lodging and Institution section of the Environmental Health Department is responsible for permitting and inspecting restaurants, foodstands, mobile food units, pushcarts, meat markets, elderly nutrition sites, school lunchrooms, school buildings, lodging places, bed and breakfast places, hospitals, rest and nursing homes, child and adult day care, residential care, jails, boarding schools, orphanages, swimming pools, spas, summer camps and tattoo parlors.

Each type of establishment operates under a set of rules formulated by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. You may find these rules here: DEH Administrative Rules.

These are some of the types of places we inspect:

Restaurants and Foodstands Mobile/Temporary Meat Markets Lodging Hospitals Tattoo Parlors Pools Schools

• Need to submit a plan or application to the Environmental Health Division? Information on requirements for submission of plans when constructing or renovating facilities inspected by the Environmental Health Department.

• Power outages, floods, hurricanes, etc. - these can happen at any time. Take a few minutes to read and share this information. Be prepared. FDA reminds you to "Keep it Safe", with information regarding food safety in an emergency.

• In the event of a utility interruption, facilities permitted by the Environmental Health Division may have to cease operation until service is restored. Read the Utilities Interuption Action Plan (PDF*) to learn about how the EHD will respond to utility interruptions.

• Shigellosis is a bacterial infection of the intestines. Read more about symptoms, how it is spread and how you can avoid getting it.

• If you are considering operating a Mobile Food Unit or Pushcart to vend food in Catawba County, this brochure contains important information you should know. The brochure is also available in Spanish.

• If you are a festival organizer or vendor planning to operate a booth selling food at a festival or special event in Catawba County, our page listing the Requirements for Vendors Operating at Fairs, Festivals, and other Public Exhibitions contains important information you will need.

• View the sanitation scores and inspection details for restaurants, food stands & meat markets in Catawba County.

• E Coli is a foodborne disease which can be contracted from many foods. It is a serious, sometimes fatal disease which can be avoided by proper foodhandling. Learn how to avoid becoming ill with this disease by reading this Information on E Coli (PDF*).

• Want to know more about organisms causing foodborne disease? Visit the FDA Bad Bug Book.

• A wide variety of food safety information can be found at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

• The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service has an extensive list of links to publications and documents on food safety.

• The FDA has a page especially for Kids on food safety.

• Foodsafety.gov is a gateway to government information on food safety.