The Department of Health no longer has food regulatory authority in hospitals, nursing homes, child care facilities, many group homes, churches, and other not-for-profit religious organizations.
Child Care Facilities
group homes that serve persons with disabilities
hospitals and nursing homes
Agency for Health Care Administration
Monitoring of Hospitals and Nursing Home Food Service Operations
Food Safety in Florida is regulated by multiple agencies
Department of Health
Regulates food service establishments located in institutional settings (such as schools, assisted living facilities, adult day cares, and detention facilities), civic and fraternal organizations, bars and lounges that don’t prepare foods, and theaters that limit their food service to items customarily served at theaters (such as beverages, popcorn, hotdogs, and nachos).
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
DBPR licenses: restaurants, mobile food vehicles, caterers, food court, public food service events, vending machines with refrigerated food, cruise ship food, take and bake food, sports stadium, theme park, entertainment complex, etc.
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
DACS licenses: supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee shops, bakeries, retail meat/seafood markets, smoothie bars, bottled water plants, vending machines, food processing plants/warehouses, mobile prepackaged food, etc.
Department of Children and Families
Regulates child care facilities, child caring agencies, etc.
Agency for Health Care Administration
Regulates hospitals and nursing homes.
Agency for Persons with Disabilities
Regulated group homes that support and provide services for persons with disabilities.
Can I conduct a food operation from my home?
No, you cannot conduct a food operation from your private residence. This prohibition applies to all of the food regulatory agencies in Florida.
Is my not-for-profit organization required to be licensed in order to start a food operation?
In most incidences, not-for-profit organization must have a license in order to provide food to the public. If you will provide services that are regulated by the Department of Health or Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, your activities require a license. If they do not, please contact the Department of Business and Professional Regulation regarding possible licensing requirements.
For churches and other not-for-profit religious organizations, typically, your food service activities are not regulated by a food regulating agency; however, bakeries and food activity that go beyond immediate onsite portioning food service, such as processing, are regulated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
I want to start a cake baking business, so what do I need to do?
Bakeries and baked goods operations are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
I currently have a hardware and appliance store, but I would like to begin to sell some packaged food items, such as candy, potato chips, soft drinks, etc. How do I get started?
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services generally regulates food operations that only sell packaged food items. They also regulate wholesale food operations, convenience stores, grocery stores, food processing operations, food storage/warehouse operation and non-alcoholic beverage operations (such as juice or smoothie bars and coffee houses).
I have an existing food operation and I want to begin to bottle and sale my product to other food operations.
An operation that sells food items to another establishment, who in turn re-sales that item to the consumer is considered wholesale operation. Wholesale operations are under the licensing and inspection authority of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (view wholesale operations licensing criteria).
What is food worker training?
Public food worker training is required of establishment licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation public food service establishments.
How do I become a certified food manager?
In order to become a certified food manager certification for a Department of Health regulated facility, you must pass an examination provided by an approved provider.
Examinations
The locations for the certified food manager examination is determine by the examination provider. For more information, view a listing of approved providers.
How do I make a complaint about the cleanliness, employee practices, and/or sanitation of a school, detention facility, or other type of institutional cafeteria?
To make this complaint, contact the county health department where the school, detention facility, or other type of institutional cafeteria is located.
How do I make a complaint about the cleanliness, employee practices, and/or sanitation of a restaurant?
Contact the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, 850-487-1395.
I would like to make a complaint about the cleanliness, employee practices, and/or sanitation of a grocery store or convenience store.
Contact the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 850-245-5520.
How do I report that I got sick from eating food at a food operation or food event?
Submit an online complaint or email Food.Poisoning@FLHealth.gov.
What is a temporary event?
For Department of Health regulated events, a temporary event is any event offering food service on the premises of a food service establishment under the licensing authority of the Department of Health.
- These events are at a fixed location for a temporary period of time not to exceed any combination of 18 days within a calendar year and in conjunction with a single event or celebration.
- Temporary Food Service Event Application: Form DH 8004
How do I find out information on food borne illnesses?
Food and waterborne illness information is routinely collected.