Provided by: SCDA
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – As of July 1, many of the food safety responsibilities formerly handled by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) will now be handled by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA).
The change is due to legislation passed in May 2023 that abolishes DHEC and splits its programs among existing and new agencies.
The new Retail Food Safety Authority would regulate restaurant kitchens, grocery delis, caterers, school cafeterias, some convenience stores and other establishments.
SCDA’s Laboratory Services department will take over the milk lab and will be responsible for testing liquid milk samples and some milk products.
Businesses regulated under the former DHEC manufactured foods program, such as ice, soft drinks, bottled water, frozen desserts, butter and cheese, are now regulated under SCDA’s existing food and safety program.
The program oversees food production at the wholesale level.
Officials said the programs are administered by the South Carolina Agricultural Development Agency’s (SCDA) Consumer Protection Division, which regulates many agriculture, food and consumer-related services in South Carolina, including scales and measuring devices (including fuel pumps and grocery scales), animal and pet food, seeds and produce growing services.
Consumers will soon begin to see new SCDA-branded letter grade decals in retail food establishment windows, and the public will be able to access the SC Food Grading System through the SCDA website or by using the decal’s QR code to read inspection reports and view a retail food establishment’s letter grade.
