Grade A -
Food Excellence Award

This award is designed to recognize those facilities that take the initiative to go above and beyond health code requirements to excel in sanitation and food safety. The Stark County Health Department recognizes that Excellence is most fully achieved when the food service management endorses and sponsors employee education and training. Therefore the Grade A - Food Excellence Award shall be awarded to those operations that have exhibited excellence in sanitation and food safety as well as evidence of successful employee education.

Criteria for Food Service Operations to earn a Grade A - Food Excellence Award:

1. One person, working a minimum of thirty (30) hours during any seven (7) day period at the facility, must be Serve-Safe Certified.
2. More than 80% of the food handlers at an operation have taken and passed a test provided by the Stark County Health Department.
3. No critical violations for the past calendar year.
4. No more than 4 non-critical violations for Level 1, 2 or 3 Food Service Operations, and, no more than 8 non-critical violations for Level 4 or 5 Food Service Operations.
5. Agree that the Award be removed from any public area of the facility no later than 13 months after issuance unless the designation has be renewed by the health department. And further that the facility shall agree that the Award shall be terminated by the health department where the operation has demonstrated behavior and results inconsistent with the criteria.

Any operation within the jurisdiction of the Stark County Health Department may request consideration for the Grade A - Food Excellence Award on an application provided by the health department. The staff and food service unit manager shall make a recommendation, based upon the criteria, to the Environmental Division Director or Health Commissioner. The Director or Commissioner shall notify the food service operation regarding the status of their application in writing within thirty days of submission.

The Stark County Health Department will reward the Food Service Operation with the Grade A - Food Excellence Award with a decal for posting for the main entrance(s) informing the public of their accomplishment. The facility will also be recognized on the Stark County Health Department Web Site - WWW.STARKHEALTH.ORG. Finally, the Stark County Heath Department will issue a monthly press release recognizing any food service operation that has qualified for the award.

For further information contact Paul DePasquale or Bob Somrak at the Stark County Health Department, (330) 493-9904 or E-mail.