Food safety duties to be handled by South Carolina Department of Agriculture

Courtesy: SCDA

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– As of the first of July, many food safety duties that were part of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) are now handled by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA).

The changes come from legislation passed in May 2023 that eliminated DHEC and divided its programs among existing and new agencies.

The new Retail Food Safety Department will regulate restaurant kitchens, grocery delis, caterers, school cafeterias, some convenience stores, and some other establishments.

SCDA’s Laboratory Services Department has taken over the Milk Lab and will be responsible for testing fluid milk samples and some milk products.

Businesses that were regulated by the former DHEC Manufactured Foods program including ice, soft drinks, bottled water, frozen desserts, butter and cheese, are now regulated by SCDA’s existing Food and Safety program.

The program oversees food manufacturing at the wholesale level.

Officials say the programs are part of SCDA’s Consumer Protection Division, which regulates many agricultural, food, and consumer-related services in South Carolina, including weights and measuring devices (including fuel pumps and grocery scales), animal and pet food, seeds, and produce farming.

Consumers will soon begin to see new SCDA-branded letter grade decals on Retail Food Establishment windows and the public can access the SC Food Grades system through the SCDA website or using the QR code on the decal to read inspection reports and view letter grades for Retail Food Establishments.