Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals | Bruce Greenstein, Secretary

Retail Food

The Retail Food Program objective is to prevent and minimize food-borne disease outbreaks through consulting, monitoring, issuance of permits and regulation of food establishments. The program also oversees the Food Safety Certification Program which consults with industry, monitors and regulates the Food Safety Certification requirements of retail food establishments.

The mission of the Retail Food Program is to:

• promote health through education that emphasizes the importance of food safety;
• enforce regulations which protect the food supply and investigate food-borne illness outbreaks; and
• provide leadership in food safety for the prevention of disease or injury.

Highlighted Facts

There are nearly 34,000 food establishments that have permits in the state of Louisiana. Of the food establishments that have permits in Louisiana, there are:

• 16,747 Restaurants
• 7,140 Grocery Stores
• 4,854 Lounges/bars
• 1,077 Meat Markets
• 518 Seafood Markets
• 2,351 Daycare and Residential Food Preparation
• 690 Bakeries
• 400 Mobile Food Vendors
• 220 Seasonal/Temporary Permits

Featured Services

• Retail Food Resources
• Food and Food-borne Illness Complaints
• Food Safety Certification
• Plans Review Questionnaire
• Restaurant Inspections