Sandra Craig, Retail Food Safety Director
retailfood@scda.sc.gov
scraig@scda.sc.gov
803-896-0640
350 Ballard Court
West Columbia, SC 29172
The Retail Food Safety & Compliance Department inspects approximately 22,000 retail food establishments statewide and issues permits to new facilities prior to opening. Retail food establishments include operations such as restaurants, grocery stores, food trucks, schools, and other institutions. Risk-based inspections are conducted at each establishment in the state annually or quarterly, based on an establishment’s food processes and their compliance history.
SCDA also regulates food safety for milk safety and wholesale food operations. The agency provides a wide variety of information and resources to help protect the public from potential food safety hazards while eating out.
For Retail Food Safety (e.g. restaurant inspections or permitting) or Home-Based Foods inquiries, contact retailfood@scda.sc.gov.
Permit Forms & Applications
- Apply for a Retail Food Establishment Permit
- Retail Food Establishment Permit Application Fees
- How to Apply for a Retail Food Establishment Permit
Home-based Food Production Law (Cottage Foods)
Information on the Home-based Food Production Law, commonly known as the “Cottage Law”, is available here. SCDA does not issue permits, licenses, certificates, or registrations of HBFP operators. If you are a HBFP operator and wish to obtain an ID number as allowed by the law, email homebasedfoods@scda.sc.gov for instructions for applying for an ID number or apply online here.
Regulation, Code, & Inspection Guides
- Regulation 61-25 – South Carolina Retail Food Establishments
- Temporary Retail Food Establishments
- Retail Food Permit Exemptions
- FDA Food Code 2022
- Risk Based Inspections
Food Safety Education & Resources
- Educational Materials—Fact Sheets, Guidance Tools, & Printable Signs
- Guide to HACCP Plans
- Guidance on Service Animals & Service Animal Provisions
- Environmental Emergencies & Recovery — Information for RFEs on recovering from a flood, boil water emergencies, and power outages.
Other State & Federal Food Safety Regulators
- South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) Wholesale Foods (Non-Meat/Poultry)
- South Carolina Meat-Poultry Inspection Department (SCMPID) Wholesale Foods (Meat/Poultry)
- South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) Alcohol Business License
- United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- FDA/Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) Dietary Supplements
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
