Food Safety

Maryland regulations on food safety in St. Mary’s County

The CDC estimates that 1 in 6 Americans get sick from eating contaminated food each year, and more than 3,000 die. Our Food Safety Program implements the Maryland regulations on food safety in St. Mary’s, educates businesses and the community about food safety practices, and partners with all food service facilities to prevent and respond to suspected food-borne illness.

Gold Star Program

Safe Food Handling

Food Facility Licensing

The health department issues licenses to all permanent, seasonal, and temporary food service facilities in the county. Learn more on how to apply for a food license.

Cottage Foods

Maryland’s modified Cottage Food Law allows citizens to operate from a home-based kitchen or on-farm food processing kitchen to produce “cottage foods”. A “cottage food” product is a non-hazardous food sold at a farmer’s market or public events. Learn more on cottage foods.

Food Facility Inspections

SMCHD inspects restaurants and other food service facilities regularly to ensure food safety standards are being met. Inspectors closely evaluate critical food safety measures that are most likely to contribute to food-borne illness. Each year, SMCHD awards Gold Star recognition to businesses who have maintained excellent food safety standards.

Potential Scams

All food service facilities should be aware of potential scams to defraud restaurants and other businesses. If you have any questions regarding the validity of a health inspector, please call the Environmental Health Division at 301-475-4321.

Community Concerns

In addition to routine inspections, our team also investigates food safety complaints that are made by community members. The identity of the person submitting the complaint will remain confidential, however, a contact name and phone number is required when submitting a complaint in case more information is needed to complete the investigation.

Inspection Reports

Health inspection reports may be requested using the Public Information Request Form. SMCHD has been working to digitize our records and upgrade our reporting systems, which will result in greater online accessibility of these records in the future.

Safe Food Handling Classes

Taking precautions when preparing, cooking and consuming food products can reduce the risk for food-borne illness. SMCHD offers a FREE class on the basics of food safety – Open to both food service facilities and the community! Click here for more information.