DuPage County Health Department

Environmental Health Services

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Environmental Health Services

Build Your Own Inspection Checklist

Click here to view and print the self inspection checklist or to customize the checklist follow these steps:

  1. Review each category and remove checkmarks from the items that you do not want to include on your checklist.
  2. Add any items that you would like in the spaces provided within each category.
  3. Click on the "Build Checklist" button at the bottom of the page.
  4. Print out this new page and utilize checklist to conduct your own inspections.

Facility Name (optional):

Food Receiving and Storage Practices
Are food items received from approved sources, in good condition, and at proper temperatures?
Is food labeled and stored off the floor during storage?
Is food stored covered or wrapped?
Are food storage rooms clean and organized?
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Cold Storage of Food
Are refrigerator temperatures at 41° or less?
Is cold food at 41° or less within refrigerators?
Are freezer temperatures at 0° or below?
Are food products covered within walk-in refrigeration?
Are food products labeled with name, date and time of preparation?
Are all refrigerators and freezers equipped with themometers?
Is the raw meat, poultry, and seafood stored under prepared food and produce?
Are refrigerators and freezers kept clean (floors, walls, ceilings, fans, and shelving)?
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Food Preparation Practices
Is food thawed properly (in a refrigerator, under running water, or as part of the cooking process)?
Are fruits and vegetables washed before preparation?
Is cross-contamination avoided during preparation (hands and equipment washed between uses)?
Are wiping cloths soaking in sanitizer water?
Is food adequately cooled (food should cool to 70° within 2 hours then 41° within an additional 4 hours)?
Is hand contact with ready-to-eat food minimized (no unecessary handling of food)?
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Cooking and Hot Holding
Are probe thermometers used to verify food temperatures?
Are the thermometers calibrated?
Is hot food held above 140°?
Is food reheated rapidly (not on steamtable) to 165°?
Are prepared-to-order eggs cooked to 145°?
Is poultry cooked to 165°?
Are hamburgers cooked to 155°?
Are pork products cooked to 155°?
Are beef products cooked to 145°?
Is seafood cooked to 145°?
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Employee Practices
Do you have the required number of certified personnel?
Are employees wearing clean clothing?
Do employees use hair restraints?
Are handsinks accessible, in good repair, and stocked with soap and paper towels?
Do employees wash hands only at the handsink?
Do employees wash their hands after using the restroom, after break time, and before starting work?
Do employees follow good hygiene practices while working with food?
Are employees observed washing their hands after handling raw meats, garbage, mops, etc.?
Are employees free of any illness or infections?
Employees do not eat, drink, or smoke in the kitchen?
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Kitchen and Equipment
Is all food equipment washed, rinsed, and sanitized after use?
Is the sanitizing rinse at the 3-compartment sink at the proper concentration?
Is the dishmachine final rinse at the proper concentration or temperature?
Is the kitchen kept clean in all areas?
Are chemicals labeled and stored separated from food areas?
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Facility
Are walls, floors, and ceilings kept clean and in good repair?
Are all restrooms clean and stocked with soap, paper towels, and toilet paper?
Is the facility free of insect and rodent infestations?
Are dumpster lids kept closed and dumpster areas kept clean and organized?
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DuPage County Health Department, 111 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, (630) 682-7400, TDD (630) 932-1447