15a ncac 18a .3630      storage and handling of utensils and equipment

(a)  After bactericidal treatment, utensils shall be air-dried and stored above the floor in a clean place in resident camps. Wherever practicable, containers and utensils shall be covered or inverted or stored in tight, clean cabinets; and glasses and cups shall be stored inverted in a sanitary manner. It shall not be considered practicable to invert plates and bowls that slide when inverted or to cover plates and bowls positioned for immediate use during business hours. Utensils and equipment shall be handled in such a manner to present contamination, and employees shall avoid handling clean surfaces that will come in contact with customers' mouths.

(b)  Drain racks, trays and shelves shall be made of not readily corrodible material, and shall be kept clean. These items are not required to be made of plastic.

(c)  Spoons, spatulas, dippers, and other in-use utensils shall be stored between uses in the food product with the handles extending out of the food, stored dry on a clean surface or in a container of water if the water is maintained at a temperature of at least 140F.

(d)  When utensils are used to dispense frozen products or moist foods, the utensils may be stored in running water dipper wells only when the water has sufficient velocity to flush food residues into the overflow drain.

(e)  Single-service utensils shall be purchased only in sanitary containers, shall be stored therein in a clean, dry place until used, and shall be handled in a sanitary manner. Single-service cup dispensers or similar devices shall be used when single-service cups are used. Nothing in the rules in this Section shall prohibit the use of plastic bags in which single-service cups or similar devices are received as the dispenser for those items.

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.