A.
Examination of food. Retail food establishments shall comply with the provisions set forth in § 224-6D above, relating to examination of food in public eating and drinking places.
B.
General. All food in retail food establishments shall be clean, wholesome,
free from spoilage, free from adulteration and safe for human consumption.
No food prepared in a private home or which has been processed in
a place other than a commercial food processing establishment shall
be sold or used in the preparation of foods offered for sale, sold
or given away, unless such place is regulated by a health authority
or other appropriate official regulatory agency. Food received from
a caterer or commissary shall not be offered for sale unless such
caterer or commissary has a valid license as provided in the Act of
May 23, 1945, P.L. 926, as amended (35 P.S. § 655.1 et seq.).[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: 35 P.S. § 655.1 was repealed 11-23-2010
by P.L. 1039, No. 106, effective 1-24-2011. For current provisions,
see 3 Pa.C.S.A. § 5701 et seq., 3 Pa.C.S.A. § 5721
et seq., and 3 Pa.C.S.A. § 6501 et seq.
A.
General.
(2)
Retail food establishments shall comply with the provisions set forth in § 224-7C(1) and (2) of this chapter, relating to cold storage facilities of public eating and drinking places, except that food or drink may be stored in direct contact with chipped or cracked ice when the following conditions exist:
(a)
Drains are provided which prevent the accumulation of water
in the storage compartment.
(b)
The cap, top, crown or pouring lip of food containers is not
submerged in the ice.
(c)
Wastewater from the storage facility is disposed of so as not
to create a nuisance or any sanitation problems.
(d)
The ice and storage facility are kept clean at all times.
(e)
Potentially hazardous foods, prior to icing, have an internal
temperature of not more than 45° F. and are kept properly iced
at all times.
(f)
The food or container is of such type that no health hazard
may result.
(3)
Only persons directly employed in the retail food establishment shall be permitted to handle unpackaged food intended for sale to the public. Display cases shall be so designed and arranged to prevent handling of such food by the public. The provisions of this Subsection A(3) shall not apply to produce or any other product which is adequately packaged, wrapped or protected for display and self-service to the customer.
(4)
No food shall be wrapped in newspapers or previously used wrapping
paper.
(5)
The evisceration, skinning, dressing or other operation, except the
cutting, slicing or grinding of meat or poultry to facilitate its
use, handling or sale, shall be prohibited in sales rooms.
(6)
All perishable food shall be stored at such temperatures as shall
protect against spoilage. All potentially hazardous food shall be
maintained at safe temperatures.
(7)
Meat, poultry, fish and other food requiring no further heat treatment
before eating shall not be placed directly on a scale unless such
food is placed in a single-service container or on wrapping paper
which is only used one time.
B.
Cold storage facilities.
(1)
Foods shall be stored in each cold storage facility or refrigerator
so as to permit the free circulation of cold air and in such a manner
as to prevent contamination, except that food already at or below
45° F. may be placed in display cases without regard to air circulation,
provided that the case is capable of maintaining this product temperature.
(2)
To promote rapid cooling, potentially hazardous foods shall be stored
in the refrigerator in shallow containers or by such other approved
means that will ensure the cooling of the total mass to a temperature
of 45° F. or less within two hours, unless otherwise specified
by the Department.
C.
Frozen food.
(1)
Frozen food shall be kept at such temperatures as to remain frozen.
(2)
Frozen products shall be moved into frozen storage immediately upon
delivery.
(3)
Frozen food products shall not be loaded above the load limit line
on display cases or in such a manner as to in any way block the circulation
of cold air.
(4)
Any freezer case found to be overloaded or containing thawed or partially
thawed foods shall subject the food products therein contained to
condemnation and destruction.
(5)
Food products shall be rotated in such a manner that the products
first in the display case or storage areas are the first product to
be sold.
(6)
All frozen food products shall have the date of processing stamped
or printed upon each package or container. This requirement may be
met by calendar or code dating.
(7)
Frozen foods, once thawed, shall not be refrozen.
Retail food establishments shall comply with the provisions set forth in § 224-9 above, relating to health and disease control for employees in public eating and drinking places.
A.
General.
(1)
Retail food establishments shall comply with the provisions set forth in § 224-10 of this chapter, relating to maintenance of equipment and utensils.
(2)
Meat blocks and cutting boards shall be free of holes, cracks and
crevices and shall be kept clean by effective methods.
(3)
No oilcloth or newspaper shall be used on any counter, table or shelf
where food is handled.
B.
Equipment design and installation. All equipment, where applicable,
shall be designed, installed and operated in accordance with the criteria
set forth by the National Sanitation Foundation, Automatic Merchandising
Health-Industry Council, Baking Industry Sanitation Standards Committee
and the Committee for 3-A Sanitary Standards for Dairy Equipment or
other nationally recognized testing laboratory or agency, with the
following exceptions:
(1)
Equipment which was installed in a retail food establishment prior
to June 27, 1968, and which does not meet fully all of the design
and construction requirements of this section shall be deemed acceptable
in that establishment if it is in good repair, capable of being maintained
in a sanitary condition and the food-contact surfaces are nontoxic.
A.
General.
(1)
All utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment, exclusive of
cooking surfaces of equipment, shall be thoroughly cleaned after each
use.
(2)
Cooking surfaces of equipment shall be cleaned at least once a day.
(3)
All utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment used in the preparation,
handling or storage of potentially hazardous food shall be thoroughly
cleaned, rinsed and sanitized in a three-compartment sink prior to
such use. However, food-contact surfaces of equipment or utensils
which will be heated in the baking or cooking process of food preparation
to above 140° F. need not be sanitized prior to usage.
(4)
Non-food-contact surfaces of equipment shall be cleaned at such intervals
as to keep them in a clean and sanitary condition.
(5)
After cleaning and until use, all food-contact surfaces of equipment
and utensils shall be stored and handled as to be protected from contamination.
B.
Sinks for washing.
(1)
In those retail food establishments where the only items 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
licensor for washing and sanitizing purposes.
(2)
At least a two-compartment sink shall be provided and used for washing
utensils and equipment which does not require sanitization.
(3)
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. If the licensor
deems it impractical to meet this requirement for large utensils or
equipment, a smaller sink may be approved.
C.
Slop sinks. Where there is a need for a slop sink or device to discard
liquid waste, such sink or device shall be provided in addition to
the equipment and utensil-washing sinks.
Retail food establishments shall comply with the provisions in § 224-14 above, relating to review of construction plans of public eating and drinking places by the licensor.
