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Manitoba Health Inspection Readiness Check

Every Manitoba restaurant works under the same provincial regulation, the Food and Food Handling Establishments Regulation. Winnipeg adds one rule on top: its Food Service By-law requires certified food handlers. Public health inspectors visit on a routine schedule and also come out when someone complains.

This check covers what they look at, the Winnipeg certification rule, and the permit that runs out every March 31. Answer eleven questions to get a score out of 100 and a short list of what to fix first.

Check your kitchen

Turn on JavaScript to work through the questions one at a time and get your score.

Which describes you?
If you're in Winnipeg, has the person in charge completed the Certified Food Handler Training Program, and is a certified person on duty whenever more than five food handlers are working?

Winnipeg's Food Service By-law sets this rule. The provincial regulation doesn't, so pick the last answer if you're outside the city.

Do you check and write down fridge, freezer and hot-holding temperatures every day?

With a probe thermometer, at set times, on a log someone signs.

When you cool cooked food in bulk, do you check that it cools fast enough?

Soups, stocks, rice and braises cooled for the next day.

Is every handwashing sink stocked with soap and paper towels, and used only for handwashing?
Do staff know to report vomiting, diarrhea or other illness symptoms before a shift, and do you keep sick staff off food?
Do you test sanitizer strength and dishwasher temperatures or chemical levels?

Test strips for sanitizer buckets and sinks, and the dishwasher gauge or strips.

Do you follow a written cleaning schedule that staff sign off?
Is stored food covered, labelled and dated, with raw meat kept below ready-to-eat food?
Can staff tell a customer which menu items contain each priority allergen?

Canada's priority allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and triticale, soy, sesame, mustard, fish, crustaceans and molluscs (shellfish), and sulphites.

Do you check for signs of pests and keep a record of pest control visits?
Is your current permit posted where it can be clearly seen?

Permits for food service establishments expire on March 31 each year.

How the score works

Each answer earns full, half or no credit. The 3 questions about things inspectors treat as a health hazard count three times as much as minor ones, and significant items count twice. Your score is the share of points you earned: 85 or more reads as inspection-ready, 60 to 84 as a few gaps to close, and below 60 as needs attention. A health-hazard question that isn't fully in place keeps the score out of the top band.

Gaps are listed by how many points they cost you, so the first one is where to start.

Questions about the Manitoba check

Does this score count as a Manitoba inspection?

No. It's a self-check based on what public health inspectors commonly look at. Your inspector's report is the only official result.

Is food handler certification required everywhere in Manitoba?

The provincial regulation doesn't require it. In Winnipeg, the City's Food Service By-law does: the person in charge must have completed the Certified Food Handler Training Program, and a certified person must be on duty whenever more than five food handlers are working.

What comes in the email?

A report on every gap, a step-by-step plan to fix each one, and links to printable checklists. You can also open those checklists in a free TenorOps account.