Food Safety and General Sanitation
Our food safety program aims to enhance the health and readiness of our community through education and regulation of food service establishments. We work with food handlers, restaurants, and businesses at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Yakima Training Center to make sure you don’t have to worry about getting sick when eating out.
Our general sanitation program focuses on educating and regulating sanitation practices in businesses such as barber and beauty shops, gyms, Child Youth School Services, massage operations, recreational areas, and confinement facilities. We work to prevent illness by identifying and controlling communicable disease hazards in these public establishments.
Training
Frequently Asked Questions:
How can I safely and legally sell homemade foods?
Home businesses involving food production are subject to military regulations and Washington State law. You must be permitted by the Washington Department of Agriculture to legally operate your cottage food business (https://agr.wa.gov/cottagefood). Cottage food products allowed to be sold in home kitchens are very limited, and may include food items such as cakes, breads, pastries, scones, and other non-potentially hazardous foods.
Furthermore, in order to operate a cottage food business in government housing you must complete the Home-Based Business application process. Visit the JBLM MWR website for more information: https://jblm.armymwr.com/programs/home-based-business.
What are some tips on how to safely prepare food?
Refer to the resources below for basic guidelines on safely preparing food
Can I sell foods to the general public at a unit/organizational fundraiser?
Yes, you can sell foods to the general public on Joint Base Lewis-McChord for unit/organizational fundraisers but there are a few requirements:
1. Attend a food handler’s class or have a state or county-issued food worker card.
2. Contact Environmental Health Service to submit an application and receive a permit for your event.
3. Understand that your event will be subject to inspection. Be prepared to serve food safely and in accordance with your approved application.