LEONARDTOWN, MD (April 3, 2024) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department announced 103 recipients of the 2023 Gold Star awards given annually to food service facilities that achieve superior food safety standards. The award recipients were recognized at a ceremony held on April 2 in Leonardtown by the St. Mary’s County Health Department.
Since its inception in 2007, the Gold Star Program has recognized food establishments that demonstrate exceptional attention to public health, safety, and sanitation. Each year, Environmental Health Specialists at the health department regularly inspect over 500 food service facilities located in St. Mary’s County. About 1,500 inspections were conducted in 2023.
During routine annual inspections, health department inspectors determine Gold Star eligibility based on strict criteria and standards. The requirements to earn the Gold Star are:
- No critical violations (based on COMAR 10.15.03)
- No temperature violations cited during a monitoring inspection
- A 30-day follow-up inspection must correct all violations noted by an inspector
- No confirmed unsafe food handling complaints for sanitation or food-borne illness
- At least one food service worker completed a recognized and approved “Food Service Sanitation and Safety Class” within the last two years
“These food establishments deserve recognition for achieving such high standards for their attention to food safety, sanitation, and public health,” stated Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “We thank them for their hard work and dedication in preventing food-borne illness.”
For more information about the Gold Star Program and for a list of the 2023 Gold Star Award winners, visit smchd.org/gold-star.
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