A professional who inspects establishment where foods, drugs, cosmetics, and similar consumer items are manufactured, handled, stored, or sold to enforce legal standards of sanitation, purity, and grading. Responsibilities include:

• Visits specified establishments to investigate sanitary conditions and health and hygiene habits of persons handling consumer products.
• Collects samples of products for bacteriological and chemical laboratory analysis.
• Informs individuals concerned of specific regulations affecting establishments.
• Destroys subgrades, or prohibits sale of impure, toxic, damaged, or misbranded items.
• Questions employees, vendors, consumers, and other principals to obtain evidence for prosecuting violators.
• Ascertains that required licenses and permits have been obtained and are displayed.
• Prepares reports on each establishment visited, including findings and recommendations for action.
• May negotiate with marketers and processors to effect changes in facilities and practices, where undesirable conditions are discovered that are not specifically prohibited by law.
• May grade products according to specified standards.
• May test products, using variety of specialized test equipment, such as ultraviolet lights and filter guns.
• May investigate compliance with or violation of public sanitation laws and regulations and be designated Sanitary Inspector.