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Nova Scotia Health Inspection Readiness Check

A Nova Scotia inspection report usually goes online within three days of the visit, so whatever the inspector finds on an ordinary Tuesday is soon there for anyone to look up. How often they come depends on the risk your kitchen carries.

This check walks through what inspectors look at in most kitchens, then asks about two Nova Scotia rules: food hygiene training for the operator and staff, and your posted permit. It takes a few minutes, and your score and top gaps appear as soon as you finish.

Check your kitchen

Turn on JavaScript to work through the questions one at a time and get your score.

Which describes you?
Has the operator completed a recognized food hygiene course, and is a staff member who has completed one present whenever the operator is away?

Count only courses on the province's recognized list, with certificates still current.

Do you check and write down fridge, freezer and hot-holding temperatures every day?

With a probe thermometer, at set times, on a log someone signs.

When you cool cooked food in bulk, do you check that it cools fast enough?

Soups, stocks, rice and braises cooled for the next day.

Is every handwashing sink stocked with soap and paper towels, and used only for handwashing?
Do staff know to report vomiting, diarrhea or other illness symptoms before a shift, and do you keep sick staff off food?
Do you test sanitizer strength and dishwasher temperatures or chemical levels?

Test strips for sanitizer buckets and sinks, and the dishwasher gauge or strips.

Do you follow a written cleaning schedule that staff sign off?
Is stored food covered, labelled and dated, with raw meat kept below ready-to-eat food?
Can staff tell a customer which menu items contain each priority allergen?

Canada's priority allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and triticale, soy, sesame, mustard, fish, crustaceans and molluscs (shellfish), and sulphites.

Do you check for signs of pests and keep a record of pest control visits?
Is your food establishment permit current and posted somewhere easy to see?

How the score works

Each answer earns full, half or no credit. The 3 questions about things inspectors treat as a health hazard count three times as much as minor ones, and significant items count twice. Your score is the share of points you earned: 85 or more reads as inspection-ready, 60 to 84 as a few gaps to close, and below 60 as needs attention. A health-hazard question that isn't fully in place keeps the score out of the top band.

Gaps are listed by how many points they cost you, so the first one is where to start.

Questions about the Nova Scotia check

Does my score count with the Department of Agriculture?

No. This is a self-check for your own use, and the province never sees it. Your official result is the inspection report an inspector gives you.

Does everyone in a Nova Scotia kitchen need a food hygiene certificate?

No. The operator must complete a recognized food hygiene course, and a staff member who has completed one must be present whenever the operator is away. Everyone else who handles food must be trained or instructed in food hygiene to suit the work they do.

What do I get by email?

A report listing every gap, a step-by-step fix for each, and links to printable checklists. Those checklists can also be opened in a free TenorOps account.