37.97.182    YOUTH CARE FACILITY (YCF): FOOD PREPARATION AND HANDLING

(1) Safe food handling and preparation practices must be followed in all YCFs.

(2) The minimum hand washing requirements include the following:

(a) The facility must have conveniently located hand washing facilities, supplied with hand soap, disposable towels kept clean in a dispenser, and cleanable trash can.

(b) An individual in a YCF handling or preparing food shall thoroughly wash hands, wrists, and exposed arms with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds:

(i) before touching anything used to prepare food;

(ii) before touching food that will not be cooked;

(iii) after touching raw meat, fish, or poultry;

(iv) after cleaning, handling dirty dishes, removing garbage, or storing supplies;

(v) after using the toilet facilities;

(vi) after eating or drinking;

(vii) after touching the face, hair, or skin;

(viii) after blowing the nose, coughing, or sneezing; and

(ix) after touching any soiled object.

(c) After handwashing, hands must be dried and faucets turned off with a clean paper towel.

(d) If used, chemical hand sanitizers must be followed by thorough hand rinsing before contact with food.

(3) General food safety requirements include the following:

(a) All food must be from an approved source and shall be transported, stored covered, prepared, and served in a sanitary manner to prevent contamination.

(b) Food must be free from adulteration or other contamination and must be safe for human consumption.

(c) Milk and other dairy products must be pasteurized.

(d) Use of home canned foods other than jams, jellies, and fruits is prohibited.

(e) Use of thermometers is required to check food temperatures.

(f) Cold storage of potentially hazardous food must be at 41°F or below.

(g) Frozen food must be kept frozen.

(h) Hot storage of potentially hazardous food must be 135°F or above.

(i) Each type of food must be stored and arranged so that cross-contamination of one type with another is prevented.

(j) Raw fruits and vegetable must be thoroughly washed in potable water to remove soil and other contaminants before being cut, combined with other ingredients, cooked, served, or offered for human consumption in ready-to-eat form. Fruits and vegetables may be washed by using chemicals approved by the EPA.

(4) General health and safety requirements include the following:

(a) Use clean cutting boards, knives, can openers, and other equipment and utensils for each type of food preparation to prevent cross-contamination.

(b) A person with symptoms of a communicable disease that can be transmitted to foods or who is a carrier of such a disease may not work with food, clean equipment, or clean utensils.

(c) When the regulatory authority has reasonable cause to suspect possible disease transmission within a YCF, the YCF shall take appropriate action in accordance with ARM Title 37, chapter 114 regarding communicable disease control.

(d) The person in charge at the YCF shall contact the regulatory authority immediately in the event of a fire, flood, power outage, or similar event that might result in the contamination of food, or that might prevent potentially hazardous food from being held at required temperatures.

(5) Minimum food storage requirements include the following:

(a) Food must be stored to prevent potential contamination.

(b) Food packages must be in good condition and protected of their contents so that the food is not exposed to adulteration or potential contaminants.

(c) Working containers holding food or food ingredients that are removed from their original packages must be identified with the common name of the food.

(d) Packaged food may not be stored in direct contact with water or undrained ice if the food package could allow water entry.

(6) Equipment and utensil sanitation requirements include the following:

(a) Kitchenware, tableware, and food contact surfaces must be washed, rinsed, and completely dried after each use.

(b) Moist cloths used for wiping kitchen and dining area surfaces, equipment, and utensils must be placed in chemical sanitizer solution frequently enough and be of sufficient strength to maintain 200 to 400 parts per million (ppm) available chlorine or equivalent.

(c) Sinks used for food preparation must be cleaned before beginning the preparation of the food.

(7) A domestic style dishwasher may be used only if it is equipped with a heating element and the following conditions are met:

(a) The dishwasher must be capable of washing and sanitizing all dishware, utensils, and food service equipment normally used for the preparation and service of a meal in one cycle.

(b) The dishwasher must have water at a temperature of at least 165°F when it enters the machine, if it uses hot water for sanitization.

(c) If it uses a heat cycle with a heating element for sanitization, the dishwasher must be allowed to run through the entire cycle before it is opened.

(d) At least a two-compartment sink must be available as a backup in the event the dishwasher becomes inoperable.

(8) If a two-compartment sink is used, all dishware, utensils, and food service equipment must be thoroughly cleaned in the first sink compartment with a hot detergent solution that is kept clean and at a concentration indicated on the manufacturer's label, sanitized in the second compartment by immersion in any chemical sanitizing agent that will provide the equivalent bactericidal effect of a solution containing at least 100 ppm but not more than 200 ppm of available chlorine at a temperature of at least 75°F for one minute, and air-dried before being stored.

History: 52-2-111, 52-2-603, 52-2-622, MCA; IMP, 52-2-113, 52-2-603, 52-2-622, MCA; NEW, 2011 MAR p. 387, Eff. 3/25/11.