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All retail food establishments in Kittitas County, whether temporary or
permanent, are annually licensed and inspected in accordance with WAC 246-215.
These inspections include a review of the general cleanliness of the kitchen and
food storage areas, checks for proper storage of food, temperature monitoring
for hot holding and cold holding sites/equipment, a review of the dishwashing
facilities, and observation of employee's food handling practices. Equipment is
assessed to ensure operation integrity. All efforts are made to ensure safe food
for the public. If you see a problem or have a complain about a food
establishment, contact this department for investigation and follow-up. All
complaints regarding potential foodborne illnesses are recorded and
investigated.
The Environmental Health specialist reviews all floor plans for food
establishments and provides consultation on layouts and floor plans as well as
menu development.
Food Service Permit Application Process
To apply for a food service permit or temporary food service permit,
visit the Environmental Health Office in person at the address provided
below. For your convenience, the permit application and supporting documents
which outline the application process, are provided below.
Kittitas County Public Health Office
507 N Nanum St Suite 102
Ellensburg, WA 98926
Food Permit Application
 141k
Temporary Food Permit Application
294k
Application for Exemption from Food Permit 62k
Plan review checklist 161k
Application process
checklist 37k
Food Handler Permits
A Food Handlers Permit is required by law to work in a food establishment
in the county. To obtain this permit, food establishment employees must
complete a food handler's course and pass an examination. This process takes
approximately one hour. New food establishment employees have 14 days in
which to meet this state requirement for their employment.
The food handler's course and examination is computerized and can be
taken in Ellensburg or Cle Elum (see below for hours and locations.) The
examination is also available in a written format. The course is also
offered in Spanish in a video format and written examination. If you need
special accommodations for taking the food handler's course, please contact
us at 509-962-7515 to discuss your options.
- 507 N Nanum Street, Suite 102, Ellensburg. Monday - Friday, 9 am -
3:30 pm. No appointment necessary.
- 415 E 1st, Cle Elum. Tuesdays, 9 am - 3 pm. No appointment
necessary.
- Spanish: 507 N Nanum Street, Suite 102, Ellensburg. 1st Tuesday of
each month at 2 pm.
The permit costs $10 (cash only) and is issued immediately when the exam
is passed.
A picture ID must be shown before the permit is issued.
Bring your previous food handler card if it has not yet expired.
At this time there are no classes scheduled.
More Information
Contact an Environmental Health Specialist II at (509) 962-7698
Causes and Symptoms of Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illness is caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. Many different disease-causing microbes,
or pathogens, can contaminate foods, so there are many different types of foodborne illnesses.
Most foodborne illnesses are infections caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Other diseases are
poisonings caused by harmful toxins or chemicals that have contaminated food.
Of note, many foodborne pathogens also can be acquired through recreational or drinking water, from contact with
animals or their environment, or through person-to-person contact.
Symptoms of Foodborne Illness
Common symptoms of foodborne illness are diarrhea and/or vomiting, typically lasting 1 to 7 days. Other symptoms might
include abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, joint/back aches, and fatigue.
The incubation period (the time between exposure to the pathogen and onset of symptoms) can range from several hours to
1 week.
What are the most common foodborne infections?
The most commonly recognized foodborne infections are those caused by the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella,
and E. coli O157:H7, and by a group of viruses known as the Noroviruses.
Campylobacter is a bacterial pathogen that causes fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. It is the most
commonly identified bacterial cause of diarrheal illness in the world. These bacteria live in the intestines of
healthy birds, and most raw poultry meat has Campylobacter on it. Eating undercooked chicken, or other food
that has been contaminated with juices dripping from raw chicken, is the most frequent source of this infection.
Salmonella is also a bacterium that is widespread in the intestines of birds, reptiles and mammals. It can spread
to humans via a variety of foods of animal origin. The illness it causes, salmonellosis, typically includes fever, diarrhea
and abdominal cramps. In persons with poor underlying health or weakened immune systems, it can invade the bloodstream and
cause life-threatening infections.
E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterial pathogen that has a reservoir in cattle and other animals. Human illness typically
follows consumption of food or water that has been contaminated with microscopic amounts of cow feces. The illness it
causes is often a severe and bloody diarrhea and painful abdominal cramps, without much fever. In 3% to 5% of cases, a
complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome can occur several weeks after the initial symptoms. This severe complication includes temporary anemia, profuse bleeding, and kidney failure.
Norovirus is an extremely common cause of foodborne illness. It causes an acute gastrointestinal illness, usually
with more vomiting than diarrhea, which resolves within two days. Unlike many foodborne pathogens that have animal reservoirs,
it is believed that noroviruses spread primarily from one infected person to another.
Foods Associated with Foodborne Illness
- Raw foods of animal origin, for example, raw meat and poultry, raw eggs, unpasteurized milk, and raw shellfish
are the most likely kinds of food to be contaminated.
- Fruits and vegetables can also be contaminated with animal waste when manure is used to fertilize produce in the
field, or unclean water is used for washing the produce.
- Raw sprouts are particularly prone to contamination because the conditions under which they are sprouted are ideal
for growing microbes.
- Unpasteurized fruit juices or cider can also be contaminated if there are pathogens on the fruit that is used to
make them.
- Any food item that is touched by a person who is ill with vomiting or diarrhea, or who has recently had such an
illness, can become contaminated. When these food items are not subsequently cooked (e.g., salads, cut fruit) they can
pass the illness to other people.
How are foodborne infections diagnosed?
The infection is usually diagnosed by specific laboratory tests that identify the causative organism. Bacteria are
found by culturing stool samples in the laboratory and identifying the bacteria. Parasites can be identified by examining
stools under the microscope. Viruses are more difficult to identify, as they are too small to see under a microscope and
are difficult to culture. Viruses are usually identified by testing stool samples for genetic markers that indicate a
specific virus is present.
How are foodborne infections treated?
There are many different kinds of foodborne infections and they may require different treatments, depending on the symptoms
they cause. Illnesses that are primarily diarrhea or vomiting can lead to dehydration if the person loses more body fluids
and salts (electrolytes) than they take in. Replacing the lost fluids and electrolytes is important. Other treatments can
help the symptoms, and careful handwashing can prevent the spread of infection to other people.
Antibiotics may or may not be used to treat foodborne infections. Many diarrheal illnesses are caused by viruses and will
improve in 2 or 3 days without antibiotic therapy. In fact, antibiotics have no effect on viruses, and using an antibiotic
to treat a viral infection could cause more harm than good. Often, it is not necessary to take an antibiotic even in the
case of a mild bacterial infection. Overuse of antibiotics is the principal reason many bacteria are becoming resistant.
Resistant bacteria are no longer killed by the antibiotic. This means that it is important to use antibiotics only when
they are really needed. Partial treatment can also cause bacteria to become resistant. If an antibiotic is prescribed,
it is important to take all of the medication as prescribed, and not stop early just because the symptoms seem to be
improving.
What are foodborne disease outbreaks and why do they occur?
An outbreak of foodborne illness occurs when a group of people consume the same contaminated food and two or more of
them come down with the same illness. It may be a group that ate a meal together somewhere, or it may be a group of
people who do not know each other at all, but who all happened to buy and eat the same contaminated item from a grocery
store or restaurant. For an outbreak to occur, something must have happened to contaminate a batch of food that was eaten
by the group of people. Often, a combination of events contributes to the outbreak.
Many outbreaks are local in nature. They are recognized when a group of people realize that they all became ill after
a common meal, and someone calls the local health department.
The vast majority of reported cases of foodborne illness are not part of recognized outbreaks, but occur as individual
or "sporadic" cases.
What can consumers do to protect themselves from foodborne illness?
A few simple precautions can reduce the risk of foodborne diseases:
COOK meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. Using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat is a
good way to be sure that it is cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria. For example, ground beef should be cooked to an
internal temperature of 160o F. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm.
SEPARATE: Don't cross-contaminate one food with another. Avoid cross-contaminating foods by washing hands,
utensils, and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food.
Put cooked meat on a clean platter, rather than back on one that held the raw meat.
CHILL: Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature, so refrigerate leftover
foods if they are not going to be eaten within 4 hours. Large volumes of food will cool more quickly if they are divided
into several shallow containers for refrigeration.
CLEAN: Wash produce. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime.
Remove and discard the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage. Because bacteria can grow well on the cut surface
of fruit or vegetables, be careful not to contaminate these foods while slicing them up on the cutting board, and avoid
leaving cut produce at room temperature for many hours. Don't be a source of foodborne illness yourself. Wash your
hands with soap and water before preparing food. Avoid preparing food for others if you yourself have a diarrheal illness.
REPORT: Report suspected foodborne illnesses to your local health department. The local public health department
is an important part of the food safety system. Often calls from concerned citizens are how outbreaks are first detected.
If a public health official contacts you to find our more about an illness you had, your cooperation is important.
In public health investigations, it can be as important to talk to healthy people as to ill people. Your cooperation may
be needed even if you are not ill.
What can consumers do when they eat in restaurants?
You can protect yourself first by choosing which restaurant to patronize. Restaurants are inspected by the local health
department to make sure they are clean and have adequate kitchen facilities. These inspections are performed on an annual
basis with the original document provided to the establishment and a copy placed in our the Health Department's files.
These files are available to the public through the public disclosure process.
Food Establishment Inspections Online
You can also protect yourself from foodborne disease when ordering specific foods, just as you would at home. When
ordering a hamburger, ask for it to be cooked to a temperature of 160oF and send it back if it is still pink in the middle.
Before you order something that is made with many eggs pooled together, such as scrambled eggs, omelets or French toast,
ask the waiter whether it was made with pasteurized eggs, and choose something else if it was not.
When should I consult my doctor about a diarrheal illness?
A health care provider should be consulted if a diarrheal illness is accompanied by
- high fever (temperature over 101.5 F, measured orally),
- blood in the stools,
- prolonged vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down (which can lead to dehydration),
- signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up,
- diarrheal illness that lasts more than 3 days.
Certain individuals, especially those that are young, old, pregnant, or have chronic medical conditions or weakened
immune systems, may be at increased risk of complications from a foodborne infection. These individuals should contact
their health care provider early in their illness for evaluation.
What is the Kittitas County Public Health Department doing to control and prevent foodborne disease?
The Kittitas County Public Health Department works in accordance with Chapter 246-215 of the Washington Administrative
Code to provide safety standards for food served or sold to the public in Kittitas County. This includes regular inspections
of all food establishments, food-handler education classes, and enforcement of these codes. In addition, the Health Department
looks into all foodborne illness complaints and works with the Washington State Department of Health to investigate foodborne outbreaks.
What should you do if you suspect you have a foodborne illness?
Foodborne diseases are largely preventable, though there is no simple one-step prevention measure like a vaccine.
Instead, measures are needed to prevent or limit contamination all the way from farm to table. If you suspect that
you have a foodborne illness, please contact the Kittitas County Public Health Department or contact your local health
care provider.
Additional information on foodborne illness
Washington State Department of Health, Food Safety Program
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/food/
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm#foodbornedisease
The US Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov
For information contact a public health nurse at 509-962-7515.
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