Food Manufacturer Inspection Checklist for Louisville

What Louisville Health Inspectors Look For

KDHFS inspectors and FDA investigators evaluate food manufacturing facilities using federal regulations (21 CFR Part 117 - Food Canning Compliance, Part 110 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice) and Kentucky state rules. Key focus areas include sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs), allergen management, pathogen prevention, and traceability systems. Inspectors review facility design (walls, floors, drainage), equipment maintenance logs, temperature monitoring records, and staff hygiene training documentation. They also assess your recall procedures and verification that cleaning actually eliminates pathogens—not just visible dirt. Common high-risk triggers include undocumented temperature excursions, cross-contamination in shared equipment spaces, and incomplete lot tracking for traceability.

Common Violations in Louisville Manufacturing Facilities

Food manufacturers in Louisville frequently receive citations for inadequate preventive controls, such as missing or outdated hazard analysis and risk-based preventive measures (HARPC under FSMA). Other violations include improper raw material receiving documentation, failure to validate that cleaning procedures eliminate pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella, and insufficient employee training records. Facility deficiencies—like water leaks near ingredient storage, pest evidence, or condensation dripping onto product—are also common findings. Environmental monitoring gaps (e.g., swab testing of food-contact surfaces) and missing allergen control documentation trigger citations. Traceability breakdowns—such as inability to identify supplier lot numbers or incomplete finished product labeling with production dates—often lead to warning letters or consent decrees if serious.

Daily & Weekly Self-Inspection Tasks

Establish a daily walk-through: check facility temperature logs, inspect floors and walls for dirt or pest activity, verify that hand-washing stations are stocked, and visually confirm equipment is clean. Weekly tasks should include swabbing food-contact surfaces and environmental areas for ATP testing or pathogen screening, reviewing yesterday's production logs for temperature deviations, and checking expiration dates on cleaning chemicals. Monthly, conduct a full sanitation audit (walls, storage, drainage), verify that staff completed required food safety training, and review your recall procedure with at least one mock exercise. Document everything—inspectors will request 2–3 years of records. Use a simple checklist form (paper or digital) and photograph any issues before correction. Real-time monitoring of equipment temperatures and humidity using data loggers helps you catch problems before an inspector does.

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