Health Departments
Contact Information
Chicago
Chicago Public Health Department
Website
Phone: 311 or (312) 744-5000
The Chicago Department of Public Health's Food Protection Division inspects and educates food establishments and responds to food related emergencies. Their goal is to promote public health in regards of food safety and sanitation in order to avoid the spread of foodborne illnesses.
The Public Health Division performs scheduled and unscheduled restaurant health inspections in the City of Chicago, these can be part of the annual inspection cycle or in response to a food related complaint. The health inspections focus on areas like food handling practices, proper food holding temperature control, hand washing facilities, personal hygiene of staff, etc.
The inspectors or sanitarians record any health violations found at the time of the inspection and designate an inspection result such as “Pass”, “Fail” and “Pass with Conditions”. However, it is important to point out that the Public Health Division states in their website that "Violations noted during the inspection are merely allegations and may be disputed and dismissed at the Department of Administrative Hearings. The results posted on-line only reflect the findings at the time of the inspection. They are not intended to provide a historical picture of the food establishment nor are they intended to predict future findings."
Report Foodborne Illness
To report a restaurant or food complaint call: 311 or (312) 744-5000 or visit the Chi 311 Service Request site.
Tip: Select health and then food in the service request page, that will display different food service request types (e.g., Pushcart Food Vendor Complaint, Restaurant Complaint).