Food Service Licensing & Inspections

Bedford is one of 16 self-inspecting municipalities within the state of New Hampshire. The town has been granted licensing authority by the New Hampshire Bureau of Food Protection to license those facilities meeting the definitions of a "Food service establishment" or a "food processing plant" under RSA 143-A:3 IV and IV-a.

Inspections


Along with the privilege of licensing comes the responsibility to perform the required inspections. The agreement with the state requires the town to perform a minimum of 2 regular inspections per year. Inspection visits are also made in response to complaints and when rechecks are needed to verify corrections of deficiencies noted during any inspection visit to a facility. We perform plan reviews for new and remodeled food service establishments and investigate complaints in connection with safe food handling.
Safe Food Diagram showing components of safe food practices

Food Service Rules


The food service rules being enforced by Bedford are the same rules being used by the New Hampshire bureau of Food Protection that have been modified to reflect the needs of the town. More information can be found in the 2017 Federal Food Code.

Informational Documents