News

Don't Miss the Taste of NC!

Written by Sandy Hulbert, REHS, Wednesday, 26 January 2011 23:36

Join over 350 of North Carolina's hospitality owners, operators and suppliers to celebrate the best food, beverages and hospitality in North Carolina! The 2011 event will take place on February 28, 2011 at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club from 6-10pm.  Go to the official Taste of NC webpage to order your tickets before they are all gone!

Scholarships Available

Written by Administrator Wednesday, 26 January 2011 00:00

Hospitality scholarships are available but the application deadline is coming up soon!  There are scholarships for students interested in pursuing studies in culinary, hospitality, or tourism, as well as scholarships for children of parents who work in the hospitality industry.  Your application must be post marked by February 1st, 2011.  For more information visit the NCRLA Scholarships page.

What is one of the most important things you can do to fight food poisoning?

Written by Sandy Hulbert Saturday, 15 January 2011 19:29

Here are a few hints:

Foodservice Establishments Phony Health Inspector Scam

Written by Sandy Hulbert Wednesday, 17 November 2010 00:00

The N.C. Division of Environmental Health is warning restaurant owners to be careful of a scam targeting foodservice establishments.  State officials say restaurateurs have reported receiving calls from people claiming to be health inspectors or other government officials who tell the business owners of a new inspection procedure. The phony “government official” provides a numeric code and instructs the restaurant operator to provide this confirmation code when prompted during an automated call or give the code to a health inspector who is scheduled to visit the restaurant. The caller then says that the health inspector will visit the foodservice establishment the next day between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., or a similar time-frame.  Larry Michael, head of the division’s Food Protection Branch, said the division has learned that other states have been targeted by similar scams. These scams have involved setting up “verified” accounts with a national online auction service. The purpose of the code is to get the restaurant to provide false verification to the online auction service which establishes a bogus online account to be used in other fraud schemes.

Foodservice establishments and other business owners need to be aware of this scam and should protect themselves by understanding:

• Never provide personal or business information by phone unless you are certain of the person with whom you are speaking.
• Environmental health specialists do not contact establishments in advance to schedule a routine inspection.
• A new inspection procedure has not been developed and any “government official” who asks you to provide a given code through an automated call system or to an inspector is part of a fraud scheme.
• Ask for proper photo identification if you do not recognize any inspector.

“I urge owners and operators to contact their local health department or the division of environmental health if there is any doubt about the identity of a person who claims to be a health inspector,” Michael says.  There have been no reports of phony inspectors arriving at any establishment targeted by the scam in North Carolina. However, owners and operators should immediately contact local law enforcement if they suspect they are being targeted by a scam.  Questions about the identity of any environmental health specialist authorized to inspect in North Carolina should be directed to the N.C. Division of Environmental Health at (919) 733-2884.