§ 13A-44. Cleanliness of equipment and utensils.

(a)

Generally: All eating and drinking utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each usage.

All kitchenware and food-contact surfaces of equipment, exclusive of cooking surfaces of equipment, used in the preparation or serving of food or drink and all food-storage utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned after each use. Cooking surfaces of equipment used shall be cleaned at least once a day. All utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment used in the preparation, service, display or storage of potentially hazardous food shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized prior to each use. Non-food-contact surfaces of equipment shall be cleaned at such intervals as to keep them in a clean and sanitary condition.

After cleaning and until use, all food-contact surfaces of equipment and utensils shall be so stored and handled as to be protected from contamination.

All single-service articles shall be stored, handled and dispensed in a sanitary manner and shall be used only once.

Food establishments which do not have adequate and effective facilities for cleaning and sanitizing utensils shall use single-service articles.

(b)

Reason: Regular, effective cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, utensils and work surfaces minimizes the chances for contaminating food during preparation, storage and serving, and for the transmission of disease organisms to customers and employees. Effective cleaning will remove soil and prevent the accumulation of food residues which may decompose or support the rapid development of food-poisoning organisms or toxins. Application of effective sanitizing procedures destroys those disease organisms which may be present on equipment and utensils after cleaning, and thus prevents the transfer of such organisms to customers or employees, either directly through tableware, such as glasses, cups and flatware, or indirectly through the food.

Improper storage of equipment and utensils, subsequent to cleaning and sanitizing, exposes them to contamination and can nullify the benefits of these operations, accordingly, storage and handling of cleaned or sanitized equipment and utensils and single-service articles must be such as to adequately protect these items from splash, dust and other contaminating material.

(c)

Compliance: This subsection shall be deemed to have been satisfied when the following requirements are met:

(1)

Equipment and utensil cleanliness:

a.

After each usage, all reusable tableware shall be thoroughly clean to sight and touch.

b.

After each usage, all kitchenware and food-contact surfaces of equipment, exclusive of cooking surfaces, used in the preparation, serving, display or storage of food shall be thoroughly cleaned to sight and touch. The cooking surfaces of grills, griddles and similar cooking devices shall be cleaned at least once a day and shall be free of incrusted grease deposits and other soil.

c.

Non-food-contact surfaces of all equipment used in the operation of a food establishment, including tables, counters, shelves, mixers, grinders, slicers, hoods and fans, shall be cleaned at such frequency as is necessary to be free of accumulations of dust, dirt, food particles and other debris.

d.

Detergents and abrasives shall be rinsed off food-contact surfaces.

e.

Cloths used by waiters, chefs and other personnel shall be clean; and any such cloths used for wiping food-contact surfaces shall be used for no other purpose.

(2)

Equipment and utensil sanitization:

a.

All reusable tableware shall after each use be properly cleaned and sanitized. A spoon or other utensil, once used for tasting food, shall not be reused until it has been cleaned and sanitized.

b.

All kitchenware and food-contact surfaces of equipment used in the preparation, service, display or storage of potentially hazardous food shall be sanitized prior to such use and following any interruption of operations during which contamination of the food-contact surfaces is likely to have occurred. Where equipment and utensils are used for the preparation of potentially hazardous food on a continuous or production-line basis, the food-contact surfaces of such equipment and utensils shall be cleaned and sanitized at intervals throughout the day on a schedule approved by the health authority.

(3)

Methods and facilities for washing and sanitizing:

a.

Prior to washing, all equipment and utensils shall be preflushed or prescraped and, when necessary, presoaked to remove gross food particles and soil.

b.

Effective concentrations of a suitable detergent shall be used in both manual and mechanical dishwashing.

c.

When manual dishwashing is employed, equipment and utensils shall be thoroughly washed in a detergent solution which is kept reasonably clean, and then shall be rinsed free of such solution. All eating and drinking utensils and, where required the food-contact surfaces of all equipment and utensils shall be sanitized by one of the following methods:

1.

Immersion for at least one-half minute in clean hot water at a temperature of at least one hundred eighty (180) degrees Fahrenheit.

2.

Immersion for a period of at least one (1) minute in a sanitizing solution containing:

(i)

At least fifty (50) ppm of available chlorine at a temperature not less than seventy-five (75) degrees Fahrenheit; or

(ii)

At least twelve and five-tenths (12.5) ppm of available iodine in a solution having a pH not higher than 5.0 and a temperature of not less than seventy-five (75) degrees Fahrenheit; or

(iii)

Any other chemical-sanitizing agent which has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the health authority to be effective and nontoxic under use conditions and for which a suitable field test is available. Such sanitizing agents, in use solutions, shall provide the equivalent bactericidal effect of a solution containing at least fifty (50) ppm of available chlorine at a temperature not less than seventy-five (75) degrees Fahrenheit.

3.

Equipment too large to treat by 1. and 2. above may be treated:

(i)

With live steam from a hose, in the case of equipment in which steam can be confined; or

(ii)

By rinsing with boiling water; or

(iii)

By spraying or swabbing with a chemical sanitizing solution of at least twice the minimum strength required for the particular sanitizing solution when used for immersion sanitization.

d.

A three-compartment sink shall be provided and used wherever washing and sanitization of equipment or utensils are conducted manually; provided, that establishments where the only utensils to be washed are limited to spatulas, tongs, and similar devices, and when the only equipment to be cleaned is stationary and does not require disassembly for proper cleaning, a one-compartment sink may be approved by the health authority for this purpose. At least a two-compartment sink shall be provided and used for washing kitchenware and equipment which does not require sanitization. Single-compartment utility sinks, such as cooks' and bakers' sinks, may be used for the rinsing of utensils.

e.

Sinks used for manual washing and sanitizing operations shall be of adequate length, width and depth to permit the complete immersion of the equipment and utensils; and each compartment of such sinks shall be supplied with hot and cold running water. Dish baskets shall be of such design as to permit complete immersion of the utensils and equipment components being sanitized therein.

f.

When hot water is used as the sanitizing agent in manual operations, thermometers, accurate to plus or minus two (2) degrees Fahrenheit, shall be provided convenient to the sink to permit frequent checks of the water temperature.

g.

Dish tables and drainboards, of adequate size for proper handling of soiled utensils prior to washing and for cleaned utensils following rinsing or sanitization, shall be provided and shall be so located or constructed as not to interfere with the proper use of the dishwashing facilities; provided, that drainboards shall not be required for cooks' and bakers' rinse sinks.

h.

Sinks, dish tables and drainboards shall be constructed of galvanized metal or better, suitably reinforced, of such thickness and design as to resist denting and buckling and sloped so as to be self-draining.

i.

Dishwashing machines shall be of such materials and so designed and constructed as to be easily cleanable, and shall be capable, when operated properly, of rendering all surfaces of equipment and utensils clean to sight and touch, and sanitized.

j.

When spray-type dishwashing machines are used, the following additional requirements shall be met:

1.

Wash water shall be kept reasonably clean, and rinse-water tanks shall be so protected by distance, baffles or other effective means as to minimize the entry of wash water into the rinse water.

2.

The flow pressure shall be not less than fifteen (15) or more than twenty-five (25) pounds per square inch on the waterline at the machine and not less than ten (10) pounds per square inch at the rinse nobbles. A suitable gage cock shall be provided immediately upstream from the final rinse sprays to permit checking the flow pressure of the final rinse water.

3.

The wash water temperature shall be at least one hundred forty (140) degrees Fahrenheit and in single-tank conveyor machines shall be at least one hundred sixty (160) degrees Fahrenheit. When hot water is relied upon for sanitization, the final or fresh rinse water shall be at a temperature of at least one hundred eighty (180) degrees Fahrenheit at the entrance of the manifold. When a pumped rinse is provided, the water shall be at a temperature of at least one hundred seventy (170) degrees Fahrenheit. When chemicals are relied upon for sanitization, they shall be of a class or type approved by the health authority and shall be applied in such concentration and for such a period of time as to provide effective bactericidal treatment of the equipment and utensils.

4.

Conveyors in dishwashing machines shall be accurately timed to assure proper exposure times in wash and rinse cycles.

5.

An easily readable thermometer shall be provided in each tank of the dishwashing machine which will indicate to an accuracy of plus or minus two (2) degrees Fahrenheit the temperature of the water or solution therein. In addition, a thermometer of equal accuracy shall be provided which will indicate the temperature of the final rinse water as it enters the manifold.

6.

Jets, nozzles and all other parts of each machine shall be maintained free of chemical deposits, debris and other soil. Automatic detergent dispensers, if used, shall be kept in proper operating condition.

k.

When an immersion-type dishwashing machine is employed for equipment and utensils washing and sanitizing, the applicable requirements pertaining to manual dishwashing shall be met; provided, that a two-compartment system shall be deemed adequate when the temperature of the wash water is maintained at or above one hundred forty (140) degrees Fahrenheit and hot water at a temperature of at least one hundred eighty (180) degrees Fahrenheit is used as the sanitizing agent.

l.

Any other type of machine, device or facilities and procedures may be approved by the health authority for cleaning or sanitizing equipment and utensils if it can be readily established that such machine, device or facilities and procedures will routinely render equipment and utensils clean to sight and touch and provide bactericidal treatment as demonstrated by an average plate count per utensil surface examined of not more than one hundred (100) colonies.

(4)

Storage and handling of cleaned equipment and utensils:

a.

Food-contact surfaces of cleaned and sanitized equipment and utensils shall be handled in such a manner as to be protected from contamination. Cleaned spoons, knives and forks shall be picked up and touched only by their handles. Clean cups, glasses and bowls shall be handled so that fingers and thumbs do not contact inside surfaces or lip-contact surfaces.

b.

Cleaned, and cleaned and sanitized, portable equipment and utensils shall be stored above the floor in a clean, dry location; and suitable space and facilities shall be provided for such storage so that food-contact surfaces are protected from splash, dust and other contamination. The food-contact surfaces of fixed equipment shall also be protected from splash, dust and other contamination. Utensils shall be air dried before being stored, or shall be stored in a self-draining position on suitably located hooks or racks constructed of corrosion-resistent material. Wherever practicable, stored containers and utensils shall be covered or inverted. Facilities for the storage of flatware (silverware) shall be provided and shall be designed and maintained to present the handle to the employee or customer.

(5)

Single-service articles:

a.

Single-service articles shall be stored in closed cartons or containers which protect them from contamination.

b.

Such articles shall be handled and dispensed in such a manner as to prevent contamination of surfaces which may come into contact with food or with the mouth of the user.

c.

Single-service articles shall be used only once.

d.

All food establishments which do not have adequate and effective facilities for cleaning and sanitizing utensils shall use single-service articles.

(Ord. No. O-76-20, § D(2), 9-9-76)