Food Permit Center

Food Emergencies and Disaster Preparation - 2022 Hurricane Season

May 5, 2022

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Food Safety would like to provide you with some useful information as we approach the 2022 Hurricane Season, which begins on June 1st. This information will help you and your business prepare for a storm and for any situations you may encounter following a storm.

We strongly recommend all food establishments have an emergency action plan in place prior to hurricane season. This plan should emphasize amongst other things efforts to minimize contributions to a food borne illness following a power outage or other damage following a storm or other significant event. As part of this plan we recommend securing access to additional refuse capacity to properly dispose of any food waste. Please know that following a storm, and once the area is safe, the department’s food safety inspectors will begin to conduct assessments in your area. These are not inspections, rather they are assessments to determine damage and needs in an impacted area as well as provide information to establishments affected by a storm or other event.

We also post information on our website (below) where you can obtain pre- and post-storm information such as the Damaged Food Guide, Boil Water Notice guidelines (from the Florida Department of Health), and information related to electrical power loss.

https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Health-and-Safety/Food-Emergencies-and-Disaster-Preparation

http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/drinking-water/boil-water-notices/

You may also benefit from reporting your business status following a storm to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. This allows consumers to know if you are open and operating or if you are closed, which helps direct the public to available resources.

https://floridadisaster.biz/

Lastly, if you have any questions you may contact us by phone at (850) 245-5520, emailing us at FoodSafetyResponseTeam@FDACS.gov or visit us at www.fdacs.gov.

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