The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (VDACS) work together to maintain the highest level of public health protection in food operations to keep citizens of the Commonwealth safe from foodborne illness. Code of Virginia §3.2-5100 establishes VDACS’s authority and responsibility for inspecting all establishments which manufacture, sell, expose, or offer food and drink products for sale. Code of Virginia §§35.1-1 and 35.1-5 give VDH responsibility for inspecting restaurants, including any place where food is served to the public, whether on or off premises, and any place where food is prepared.
In areas where the inspection authority of VDH and VDACS overlap, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) delineate the responsibilities of each agency and reduce duplicate inspections to the greatest extent possible.
Refer to the full MOUs below for more information on the inspection responsibilities of each agency as they relate to food service operations in different types of food service establishments.
- Retail Food Service MOU (grocery store food service, bakeries, seafood markets, farmer's markets, and breweries/ wineries
- Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts MOU
For information about the roles of VDH and VDACS in Milk and Milk Product Safety, see also the Milk Safety in the Commonwealth webpage.