New Food Safety Ratings for Larimer County Restaurants in 2020

As of January 1, 2020, the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment adopted the state of Colorado’s three-tiered rating system for food safety in restaurants. Larimer County Public Health Director Tom Gonzales said the goal of the new rating system is “to prevent foodborne illness in retail food establishments.”

Adopting the rating system will ensure Larimer County standards are consistent with other restaurants across the state. Ratings are determined by adding the point value assessed for each item out of compliance. The sum of the points is compared with the schedule below to determine the rating.

As of 2019, the Colorado Food Code requires that at least one manager or supervisor become ServeSafe certified in food safety.

Food safety standards have not changed in 2020, but inspections now emphasize food safety over operations. In the past, an “inadequate” rating may have related to administrative issues, not food safety. This made it difficult to delineate which restaurants were truly safe. Now, the focus is clear, the ratings are easy to understand, and restauranteurs have the opportunity to fix minor violations during inspection.

Each of the 1,700 retail food establishments in Larimer County are inspected at least once per year.

Find more information about food safety in Colorado by visiting the Colorado Department of Health and Environment website.