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Chef Hygiene
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United States: for restaurants and takeaways

Ready for the food inspection. Every day.

In the United States the app follows the FDA Food Code as your state adopted it (editions from 2005 to 2022), with your state’s own changes. Your state, county or city health department inspects.

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The Chef Hygiene app on a computer: the home screen of a kitchen with its daily checksThe Chef Hygiene app on a phone: the home screen of a kitchen with its daily checks

United States: food hygiene rules

Inspection body
State, county or city health department (the FDA publishes the model Food Code that states adopt)
Public rating
In some places
Languages in the app
English

Your inspection

The FDA Food Code is a model, not a federal law. States adopt it in full or with changes, and a state, county or city health department inspects restaurants. The USDA covers meat, poultry and some egg products only. The local fire marshal or fire department checks fire safety.

Most inspections are not announced. The inspector can come at any reasonable time when you are open and checks your food against the Food Code edition your state adopted. You get a copy of the report. Rules differ by state, county and city.

Hygiene rating

There is no national grade. Some places post scores, letter grades or placards online or in the window. For example, New York City uses A, B or C, Louisiana uses a 1–5 pelican rating, and Texas has no statewide grades.

“Law” is a binding rule. “Official guidance” is not law, but inspectors expect it. “Chef Hygiene default” is a value the app checks against where no rule gives a number.

Temperatures

  • LawCold holding: 41°F (5°C) or below. Hot holding: 135°F (57°C) or above. Roasts cooked as the Food Code allows may be held at 130°F (54°C) (Food Code 3-501.16).
  • LawCooking for 15 seconds: 165°F (74°C) for poultry, stuffed food and wild game; 145°F (63°C) for fish, whole cuts of meat and eggs cooked to order for immediate service (Food Code 3-401.11).
  • LawGround meat and fish, and non-intact meat: 155°F (68°C) for 17 seconds. Equal options are 150°F (66°C) for 1 minute, 158°F (70°C) for under a second, or 145°F (63°C) for 3 minutes.
  • LawReheating for hot holding: 165°F (74°C) for 15 seconds, within 2 hours. In a microwave, reach 165°F (74°C), stir, cover and stand for 2 minutes (Food Code 3-403.11).
  • LawCooling: from 135°F (57°C) to 70°F (21°C) within 2 hours, then to 41°F (5°C) or below within 6 hours in total. Food made from room-temperature ingredients must reach 41°F (5°C) within 4 hours (Food Code 3-501.14).
  • LawDate marking: ready-to-eat food that needs temperature control and is kept more than 24 hours must carry a consume-or-discard date. The limit is 7 days at 41°F (5°C) or below, and the day it is made counts as day 1 (Food Code 3-501.17).
  • LawTime as a public health control needs written procedures. Food can stay out for up to 4 hours, then it is thrown away. Cold food starts at 41°F (5°C) or below, and hot food at 135°F (57°C) or above. Cold food only: up to 6 hours if it never goes above 70°F (21°C) (Food Code 3-501.19).
  • LawThaw in the fridge, under cold running water at 70°F (21°C) or below, in a microwave and then cook at once, or as part of cooking. Food thermometers must be accurate to ±2°F (±1°C).
  • LawSome places differ. New York State outside the city: cold 45°F (7°C), hot 140°F (60°C). New York City: hot 140°F (60°C). South Dakota: hot 140°F (60°C). Vermont cools in one stage, 135°F (57°C) to 41°F (5°C) within 4 hours.

Staff, training and health

  • LawFood Code 2022: the person in charge must be a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM), unless the regulator treats the place as minimal risk. Older editions ask for at least one CFPM. States differ, and Hawaii did not adopt the 2022 rule.
  • LawStaff must report these symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, and infected cuts or boils.
  • LawStaff must also report these diagnoses: norovirus, hepatitis A, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, typhoid fever and nontyphoidal Salmonella.
  • Chef Hygiene defaultFood handler cards are needed where your state or city asks for them. Chef Hygiene suggests a renewal date: a manager certificate lasts up to 5 years and a food handler card usually 2 or 3 years.

Allergens

  • LawUS law lists 9 major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Sesame has been included since 1 January 2023 (FASTER Act).
  • LawThe menu must tell customers about raw or undercooked animal foods and remind them of the risk (Food Code 3-603.11, consumer advisory).

Fire safety checks

  • Official guidanceNFPA 96 hood inspections depend on the cooking: monthly for solid fuel (wood or charcoal), quarterly for high volume, every 6 months for moderate volume, and yearly for low volume. Many states and cities adopt NFPA 96 in their fire code.
  • Official guidanceClean the hood system whenever an inspection finds grease build-up. Keep a certificate on site that shows the date, the company and any areas not cleaned.
  • Official guidanceExtinguishers that protect cooking appliances using vegetable or animal oils and fats must be listed for Class K fires (NFPA 10).
  • Official guidanceInternational Fire Code: commercial cooking that makes grease-laden vapors needs an automatic fire-extinguishing system (UL 300). Its manual pull station sits on the way out, 10 to 20 feet from the hood.
  • Chef Hygiene defaultChef Hygiene checks that the hood’s fire suppression system is inspected every 6 months.

Records

  • LawOSHA: report a death within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospital stay, an amputation or the loss of an eye within 24 hours. Call 1-800-321-6742 or use osha.gov/report.
  • LawFull-service restaurants and limited-service eating places are partly exempt from keeping OSHA injury and illness records, but must still report the severe events above.
  • LawSome states run their own OSHA State Plan that covers private businesses, for example California and Oregon. A restaurant there deals with the state plan. In other states, restaurants are under federal OSHA.
  • LawTime as a public health control needs written procedures, and ready-to-eat food kept more than 24 hours needs a consume-or-discard date mark (Food Code 3-501.19 and 3-501.17).

Official sources

Checked

This page is general information, not legal advice. Check with your local authority.

United States: the Chef Hygiene app

The app loads these rules for your kitchen, checks your records against them and keeps proof for the inspector.

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