When you cook at home you have your personal code of food safety. When you dine out you're placing your health in the hands of others. Your hope is those others adhere to same strict food safety protocols you maintain in your personal life.

Now there is a way to see for yourself if your favorite restaurant, gas station deli, side of the road food stand, or even daycare or nursing facility can pass muster as far as food safety is concerned.

Eat Safe Louisiana is a website from the Louisiana Department of Health. In addition to the inspection reports, the site has a lot of other helpful information. There's advice on home food safety, cooking for the elderly and the very young, and the proper methods you might choose for storing food. They've even got a section on how to prepare tailgate food without ptomaine.

The site also is a gateway for businesses who need to file paperwork with the state or get forms from the state. All in all, it's quite useful for anyone who is in the food service industry as a business owner or as a consumer. The site even has guidelines for food service at fundraisers and events. 

I did find the pathway to the inspection reports to be a bit clunky. Here's my advice on how to search for a food service provider near you or in a specific city. Once you get to this section of the website, enter the name of the city or the establishment in question. From there you can find their latest inspection report quite easily.

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