|
|
| Effective January 2, 2007, the State of New Jersey formally adopted N.J.A.C. 8.24, Chapter 24 of the State Sanitary Code, “Sanitation in Retail Food Establishments & Food & Beverage Machines.” This code replaces the former regulation (Chapter 12) which had been in effect since 1993. |
|
| This new code (which was based upon the FDA Food Code) is designed to enhance food protection, to better protect the food supply from potential bacterial contamination and cross contamination and to ensure that a safe and wholesome food product is provided to your customers. |
|
| The code contains changes which may affect you and the operation of your business. The purpose of this correspondence is to advise you of some of the more significant changes: |
|
|
|
- All establishments will be placed into a “Risk Type” classification of 1 through 4 based upon the nature of the operation, including but not limited to the menu, food heating, reheating and cooling activities, cold and hot holding and use, and handling of potentially hazardous foods.
- All establishments must have a “Person in Charge.” This person must have a working knowledge of foodborne disease prevention, application of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, and the requirements of this new regulation. Additionally by January 2, 2010, at least one person in charge in Risk Type 3 Food Establishments shall be a “Certified Food Protection Manager.”
“Risk type 3 food establishment” means any retail food establishment that:
1. Has an extensive menu which requires the handling of raw ingredients: and is involved in the complex preparation of menu items that includes the cooking, cooling, and reheating of at least three or more potentially hazardous foods; or
2. Prepares and serves potentially hazardous foods including the extensive handling of raw ingredients…Such establishments may include, but are not limited to, full service restaurants, diners, commissaries, and catering operations; or hospitals, nursing homes, and preschools preparing and serving potentially hazardous foods.
- Bare hand contact with “Ready To Eat Food” is prohibited. Ready to eat food may be loosely defined as any food which will be eaten raw or will not be further cooked, processed or modified prior to service to the consumer. Gloves of other serving utensils must now be utilized except in a few certain instances.
- “Refrigeration Temperature” is now defined as 41 degrees. Refrigeration temperature may no longer be 45 degrees except in a few certain instances.
- Hot holding in steam tables must be at 135 degrees or above. The prior code required 140 degrees for hot holding.
- Safe cooking temperatures have been modified as listed below. Except as specified below, raw animal foods such as eggs, fish, meat, poultry, and foods containing these raw animal foods, must be cooked to heat all parts of the food to a temperature and for a time that complies with one of the following methods based on the food that is being cooked:
|
|
|
| 145 degrees Fahrenheit or above for 15 seconds for fish, meat, pork and commercially raised game animals except as specified below. |
|
| 155 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds or the temperature specified in the following chart that corresponds to the holding time for raw shell eggs, ratites and injected meats; and to the following if they are comminuted fish, meat, commercially raised game animals. |
|
| Minimum Temperature |
|
Minimum Holding Time |
| 145 degrees Fahrenheit | |
3 minutes |
| 150 degrees Fahrenheit | |
1 minutes |
| 158 degrees Fahrenheit | |
1 second |
|
|
|
| 165 degrees Fahrenheit or above for 15 seconds for poultry, stuffed fish, stuffed meat, stuffed pasta, stuffed poultry, stuffed ratites, or stuffing containing fish, meat, poultry, or ratities. |
|
| Whole beef roasts, corned beef roasts, pork roasts, and cured pork roasts such as ham, shall be cooked as specified in the following chart, to heat all parts of the food to a temperature and for the holding time that corresponds to that temperature: |
|
| Temperature |
|
Time * |
| 130 degrees Fahrenheit |
|
112 minutes |
| 132 degrees Fahrenheit | |
77 minutes |
| 134 degrees Fahrenheit | |
47 minutes |
| 136 degrees Fahrenheit | |
32 minutes |
| 138 degrees Fahrenheit | |
19 minutes |
| 140 degrees Fahrenheit | |
12 minutes |
| 142 degrees Fahrenheit | |
8 minutes |
| 144 degrees Fahrenheit | |
5 minutes |
| 145 degrees Fahrenheit | |
3 minutes * |
* Holding time may include post oven heat rise.
|
| However, a raw animal food, such as raw shell eggs, raw fish, raw-marinated fish, or raw molluscan shellfish, or partially cooked food such as lightly cooked comminuted meat, lightly cooked fish, soft cooked eggs, or rare meat may be served or offered for sale in a ready-to-eat form if the food is prepared in response to a consumer order and is prepared for immediate service. |
|
| A complete copy of the regulation is available at the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services website: http://www.state.nj.us./health/eoh/foodweb. Click on “Sanitation in Retail Food Establishments & Food & Beverage Vending Machines” to access the file in a PDF format.
|
|
| There are a number of other changes to the regulations which will be discussed with you during routing inspections and in the learning period ahead. Be alert for additional correspondence and explanations which may be issued by this office in the future.
|
Restaurant Inspection Rating's Guidelines are as follows:
Satisfactory |
Substantial compliance with State Health Codes |
Conditional Satisfactory |
Needs improvement in several areas - as determined by the licensed inspector and interpretation of the State Health Codes. A time limit is set for the establishment to come into compliance and a re-inspection is done in order to assure this compliance. |
Unsatisfactory |
Serious or unsafe conditions/violations of the health codes set by the State Of New Jersey. The establishment would be asked to close until all conditions/requirements are met. |
| | | |
