FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 21, 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) continues to receive national recognition for its innovative approach to conducting virtual food safety checks at restaurants and virtual lead hazard assessments at high-risk homes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. DHEC recently was presented a Silver Innovation Award by the National Environmental Health Association for these efforts. 

Only weeks after South Carolina announced its first cases of COVID-19, staff with DHEC’s Division of Food and Lead Risk Assessments began strategizing methods for continuing to perform important safety evaluations while maintaining the physical distancing that was urgently recommended by public health officials. By April, the agency had developed and begun piloting Virtual Food Safety Checks to ensure safe food handling procedures at the state’s more than 20,000 retail food establishments, as well as implementing over-the-phone or virtual lead hazard assessments that can help children who may be at high risk of lead exposure at their homes. In July 2020, Food Safety Checks were replaced with a more comprehensive Limited Scope Inspection, which can be performed either virtually or on-site. 

“The health and safety of all South Carolinians is DHEC’s number one priority, and as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, it was imperative that we find new and strategic ways to continue these important inspections and assessments that help keep our residents safe,” said Myra Reece, DHEC Director of Environmental Affairs. “I couldn’t be prouder of our team’s ingenuity and adaptability. Their commitment to never missing a beat with food safety and lead assessments has led to the development of these successful virtual programs that continue to be implemented by other regulatory agencies across the country.”

DHEC’s Division of Food and Lead Risk Assessments, which is within the Bureau of Environmental Health Services, has been previously recognized for these innovative efforts:

•    South Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association presented DHEC with its 2021 Outstanding Community Leader Award (Public Sector) in February 2021.

•    The Division was previously recognized for its innovative adaptability by earning the Elliot O. Grosvenor Food Safety Award in June 2021. This award is given to “recognize outstanding achievements made by food safety programs within State Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resource Agencies, Public Health Departments, or Environmental Conservation Departments in the United States or Canada.” 

•    Mary Ramirez, a training coordinator with DHEC’s Food Safety Program, was asked to speak about DHEC’s virtual food safety and disaster response at a national Big-Cities Environmental Health Coalition forum held in September 2021. The purpose of the forum is to share and exchange strategies on environmental health issues. 

Because of the success of the Virtual Food Safety Checks & Limited Scope Inspections, DHEC is currently performing a combination of virtual checks and in-person inspections at retail food establishments around the state. To date, more than 33,907 virtual inspections have been conducted since they were first implemented in April 2020.  

To learn more about DHEC’s Retail Food Inspections and Virtual Safety Checks, click here. Learn more about DHEC’s role with lead risk assessment here. 

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