SCDA Taking Over Restaurant Inspections July 1

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) is preparing to take on some important regulatory duties currently handled by the Department of Health and Environmental Control, better known as DHEC.

Starting July 1, 2024, the SCDA will handle all retail food safety inspections, including restaurant kitchens, school cafeterias, caterers, grocery stores, some convenience stores, and more. SCDA is also taking over DHEC’s Manufactured Food Programs, including soft drinks, cheese and dairy, bottled water, and ice, as well as the Milk Inspection Program and Laboratory.

“These new duties will strengthen our ability to assure food safety while also streamlining services for businesses, some of which are currently regulated by both SCDA and DHEC,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers.

This change was a result of Senate Bill 399 (S.399), a bill restructuring DHEC and dividing oversight among new and existing agencies.

These inspections were formerly handled by DHEC. The DHEC conducts risk-based inspections in approximately 22,000 establishments in the state annually or quarterly, based on an establishment's food processes and their compliance history. Their five risk factors are: food contact equipment cleanliness, cooking temperatures, employee health, food sources, and food holding temperatures.

Retail Food Establishment Inspections are scored based on a 100-point scale: Grade A is 87 points or higher, Grade B is 78 to 87 points, Grade C is 77 points or lower.

What does SCDA do?

The SCDA ensures that foods are manufactured and marketed under safe and sanitary conditions through routine surveillance inspections. Inspectors ensure that food is pure and wholesome, safe to eat, and properly labeled according to food safety laws and regulations. The department regulates foods manufactured for wholesale distribution.

As Assistant Commissioner at the SCDA, Derek Underwood has expressed his excitement for the upcoming change, elaborating on the long-standing rapport between these two departments.

“We’ve worked with the DHEC food protection staff and the dairy staff since the SCDA was formed,” said Underwood. “We have memorandums of understanding, work sessions, and work groups; we share regulatory oversight over several facilities, so it is a natural fit.”

What's Changing?

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture will take over regulation of:

• Retail food safety (restaurant kitchens, grocery stores, caterers, school cafeterias, some convenience stores, and more)

• Dairy and Milk

• Wholesale bottled water, soft drinks, and ice manufacturing

• A new look for decals, manuals, forms, and other materials.

• Online applications and fee payment.

• No more regional offices: Food safety will be headquartered in Lexington County, with regionally based inspectors working from their vehicles, creating efficiency for customers

• One agency for Food Safety: After the transfer, SCDA will regulate food safety in South Carolina except for meat and poultry

The blending of these two agencies will mean a steep increase in food safety focus within the SCDA. A former 135 employees will now expand to over 4,000 as the SCDA merges into the DHEC’s previous facilities.

“We’re going from an agency of 3% to 55% focused on consumer protection and ensuring our food supply is safe and wholesome,” said Underwood.

What Will Stay the Same?

• Regulations: The laws governing food safety are not changing

• Staff: DHEC food safety staff will become part of SCDA

• Other food safety programs: SCDA will continue to regulate wholesale food safety, feed safety, produce safety and other programs as before

• Cottage Foods: The South Carolina Home-based Food Production Law remains in effect.

“What will change is that the regional office is becoming centralized, which we hope will make more consistency and more uniform decision making,” said Underwood. “We hope that restaurant owners and lodging agencies can see a faster reaction time because the decision making will be centralized.”