15A NCAC 18A .3628      FOOD SERVICE UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT

(a)  In Resident Camps, all eating, drinking, cooking utensils, tables, sinks, cabinets, hoods, shelves, equipment, fixtures and other items used in connection with the preparation of food shall be kept clean and in good repair.

(b)  All surfaces with which food or drink come in contact shall consist of smooth, not readily corrodible, non-toxic materials in which there are no open cracks or joints that will collect food particles and slime, and shall be kept clean.

(c)  Shelves, tables and counters shall not be covered with paper, cardboard, oilcloth or other absorbent material, and shall be free of crevices. Dining table linen or similar dining table coverings, if used, shall be kept clean and in good repair.

(d)  Equipment placed into operation after the effective date of the rule, and all dishwashing facilities shall meet NSF/ANSI food equipment standards. Food service equipment that is certified for sanitation by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited program shall be approved. NSF/ANSI food equipment standards are incorporated by reference including subsequent amendments and editions. These standards may be obtained from ANSI, 1819 L Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, at a cost of six-hundred sixty-five dollars ($665.00) and are also available for inspection at the Division of Environmental Health, 1632 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1632. If equipment is not listed by an ANSI accredited education service program, the owner or operator shall submit documentation to the Department that demonstrates that the equipment is at least equivalent to ANSI sanitation standards. In doing so, if the components of the equipment are the same as those meeting ANSI sanitation standards, then the Department shall deem the equipment equivalent. For purposes of the rules of this Section, toasters, mixers, microwave ovens, hot water heaters and hoods shall not be considered to be equipment and shall not be required to meet ANSI sanitation standards. Limited resident camps are exempt from this Rule except for required dishwashing facilities. All existing equipment, excluding dishwashing facilities, not in compliance with this Rule must be brought into compliance by May 1, 2012.

(e)  Single-use articles such as formed buckets, bread wrappers, aluminum pie plates and No. 10 cans shall be used only once except that containers made of plastic, glass or other smooth, not readily corrodible, non-toxic materials having smooth sides and of a construction that can be easily cleaned may be reused.

(f)  Beverage dispensers installed or replaced after the effective date of this Rule shall be designed to avoid activation by the lip of a cup or glass when these dispensers are used to refill cups or glasses.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 130A-235; 130A-248;

Eff. October 1, 2007;

Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. July 20, 2019.