The purpose of this chapter is to promote public health, and
it is enacted by virtue of Title 26 of the New Jersey Statutes Annotated
and other statutes and regulations of the State of New Jersey and
the New Jersey State Department of Health.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, wherever used in this chapter,
the following terms shall be taken to mean and include:
CONSUMER
A person who is a member of the public, takes possession
of food, is not functioning in the capacity of an operator of a retail
food establishment or food processing plant, and does not offer the
food for resale.
CRITICAL CONTROL POINT
A point or procedure in a specific food system where loss
of control may result in an unacceptable health risk.
CRITICAL ITEM
A violation of N.J.A.C. 8:24 et seq., that, if in noncompliance, is more likely than other violations to contribute to food contamination, illness or environmental health hazard. A critical item is an item that that falls within Items Number 1 through 24 of the Chapter
24 check sheet provided by the New Jersey Department of Health.
CRITICAL LIMIT
The maximum or minimum value to which a physical, biological,
or chemical parameter must be controlled at a critical control point
to minimize the risk that the identified food safety hazard may occur.
DISCLOSURE
A written statement that clearly identifies the animal-derived
foods which are, or can be ordered, raw or undercooked, or without
otherwise being processed to eliminate pathogens, or items that contain
an ingredient that is raw, undercooked, or without otherwise being
processed to eliminate pathogens.
EQUIPMENT
An article that is used in the operation of a retail food
establishment such as a freezer, grinder, hood, ice maker, meat block,
mixer, oven, reach-in refrigerator, scale, sink, slicer, stove, table,
temperature measuring device for ambient air, vending machine or warewashing
machine. The term does not include items used for handling or storing
large quantities of packaged foods that are received from a supplier
in a cased or overwrapped lot, such as hand trucks, forklifts, dollies,
pallets, racks and skids.
FOOD
A raw, cooked, or processed edible substance, ice, beverage,
or ingredient used or intended for use or for sale in whole or in
part for human consumption or chewing gum.
FOOD EMPLOYEE
An individual working with unpackaged food, food equipment
or utensils, or food contact surfaces.
FOOD PROCESSING PLANT
A commercial operation that manufactures packages, labels,
or stores food for human consumption and does not provide food directly
to a consumer. The term does not include a retail food establishment.
HAZARD
A biological, chemical, or physical property that may cause
an unacceptable consumer health risk.
HAZARD ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS (HACCP) PLAN
A written document that delineates the formal procedures
for following the HACCP principles (July 2005) incorporated herein
by reference, as amended and supplemented, and available through the
Division of Cooperative Programs (HFS-625), Office of Compliance,
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration.
HEALTH OFFICER
The executive officer of the City of Vineland Department
of Health, or authorized representative, licensed by the State of
New Jersey.
HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATION
Persons who are more likely than other people in the general
population to experience foodborne disease because they are:
[Added 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
A.
Immunocompromised; preschool age children, or older adults;
and
B.
Obtaining food at a facility that provides services such as
custodial care, health care, or assisted living, such as a child or
adult day-care center, kidney dialysis center, hospital or nursing
home, or nutritional or socialization services such as a senior center.
IMMINENT HEALTH HAZARD
A significant threat or danger to health that is considered
to exist when there is evidence sufficient to show that a product,
practice, circumstance, or event creates a situation that requires
immediate correction or cessation of operation to prevent injury based
on the number of potential injuries, and the nature, severity, and
duration of the anticipated injury.
JUICE
The aqueous liquid expressed or extracted from one or more
fruits or vegetables, purees of the edible portions of one or more
fruits or vegetables, or any concentrates of such liquid or puree.
Juice does not include, for purposes of HACCP, liquids, purees, or
concentrates that are not used as beverages or ingredients of beverages.
[Added 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
MOBILE RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT
My movable restaurant, truck, van, trailer, cart, bicycle,
watercraft, or other movable unit including hand-carried, portable
containers in or on which food or beverage is transported, stored,
or prepared for retail sale or given away at temporary locations.
MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH
Any edible species of fresh or frozen oysters, clams, mussels,
and scallops or edible portions thereof, except when the scallop product
consists only of the shucked adductor muscle.
[Added 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
OPERATOR
The entity that is legally responsible for the operation
of the retail food establishment such as the owner, the owner's agent,
or other person.
PACKAGED
Bottled, canned, cartoned, securely bagged, or securely wrapped,
whether packaged in a food establishment or a food processing plant.
Packaged does not include a wrapper, carry-out box, or other nondurable
container used to containerize food with the purpose of facilitating
food protection during service and receipt of the food by the consumer.
[Amended 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
PERSON
An individual, association, corporation, partnership, other
legal entity, government, or government subdivision or agency.
PERSON IN CHARGE
The individual present at a retail food establishment who
is responsible for the operation at the time of inspection.
POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD
A.
Food that is natural or synthetic and that requires temperature
control because it is in a form capable of supporting:
(1)
The rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic
microorganisms;
(2)
The growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum; or
(3)
In raw shell eggs, the growth of Salmonella enteritidis.
B.
Potentially hazardous food includes an animal food (a food of animal origin) that is raw or heat-treated; a food of plant origin that is heat-treated or consists of raw seed sprouts; cut melons; and garlic and oil mixtures that are not acidified or otherwise modified at a food processing plant in a way that results in mixtures that do not support growth as specified under Subsection
A of this definition.
C.
Potentially hazardous food does not include:
(1)
An air-cooled hard-boiled egg with shell intact;
(2)
A food with an aw value of 0.85 or less;
(3)
A food with a pH level of 4.6 or below when measured at 75º
F.;
(4)
A food, in an unopened hermetically sealed container, that is
commercially processed to achieve and maintain commercial sterility
under conditions of nonrefrigerated storage and distribution;
(5)
A food for which laboratory evidence demonstrates that the rapid
and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms or
the growth of Salmonella enteritidis in eggs or C. botulinum cannot
occur, such as a food that has an aw and a pH that are above the levels
specified under Subsection C(2) and (3) above and that may contain
a preservative, other barrier to the growth of microorganisms, or
a combination of barriers that inhibit the growth of microorganisms;
or
(6)
A food that does not support the growth of microorganisms as specified under Subsection
A of this definition even though the food may contain an infectious or toxigenic microorganism or chemical or physical contaminant at a level sufficient to cause illness.
PREMISES
A.
The physical facility, its contents, and the contiguous land
or property under the control of the operator; or
B.
The physical facility, its contents, and the land or property not described under Subsection
A above if its facilities and contents are under the control of the operator and may impact retail food establishment personnel, facilities, or operations, if a retail food establishment is only one component of a larger operation such as a health care facility, hotel, motel, school, recreational camp or prison.
READY-TO-EAT FOOD
A.
Food that is in a form that is edible without additional preparation
to achieve food safety, as specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.4(a)1 through
3 or 8:24-3.4(b) or (d); or is a raw or partially cooked animal food
and is prepared in response to a consumer order and for immediate
service as specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.4(a)3ii; Is prepared in
accordance with a specialized processing approval that is granted
as specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.5(h); and May receive additional
preparation for palatability or aesthetic, epicurean, gastronomic,
or culinary purposes.
B.
Ready-to-eat food includes:
(1)
Raw animal food that is cooked to safe cooking temperatures,
or frozen as specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.4(d);
(2)
Raw fruits and vegetables that are washed as specified under
N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.3(g);
(3)
Fruits and vegetables that are cooked for hot holding as specified
under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.4(c);
(4)
All potentially hazardous food that is cooked to the temperature
and time required for the specific food under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.4 and
cooled as specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.5(d);
(5)
Plant food for which further washing, cooking, or other processing
is not required for food safety, and from which rinds, peels, husks,
or shells, if naturally present, are removed;
(6)
Substances derived from plants such as spices, seasonings and
sugar;
(7)
Bakery items such as bread, cakes, pies, fillings or icing for
which further cooking is not required for food safety;
(8)
The following products that are produced in accordance with
USDA guidelines and that have received a lethality treatment for pathogens:
dry, fermented sausages, such as dry salami or pepperoni; salt-cured
meat and poultry products, such as prosciutto ham, country-cured ham,
and Parma ham; and dried meat and poultry products, such as jerky
or beef sticks; and
(9)
Foods manufactured according to Thermally Processed Low-Acid
Foods Packaged in Hermetically Sealed Containers, 21 CFR Part 113,
incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented.
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
The local, state or federal enforcement body or authorized
representative having jurisdiction over the retail food establishment
or food processing plant.
REMINDER
A written statement concerning the health risk of consuming
animal foods raw, undercooked, or without otherwise being processed
to eliminate pathogens.
RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT
A.
An operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends,
or otherwise provides food for human consumption:
(1)
Such as a restaurant, or catering operation, if the operation
provides food directly to a consumer or to a conveyance used to transport
people; institution or food bank.
(2)
That relinquishes possession of food to a consumer directly,
or indirectly through a delivery service such as home delivery of
grocery orders or restaurant take-out orders, or delivery service
that is provided by common carriers.
B.
Retail food establishment includes:
(1)
An element of the operation such as a transportation vehicle
or a central preparation facility that supplies a vending location
or satellite feeding location unless the vending or feeding location
is permitted by the health authority; or
(2)
An operation that is conducted in a mobile, stationary, temporary,
or permanent facility or location, where consumption is on or off
the premises, and regardless of whether there is a charge for the
food.
C.
Retail food establishment does not include:
(1)
A produce stand that only offers whole, uncut fresh fruits and
vegetables;
(3)
A kitchen in a private home if only food that is not potentially
hazardous is prepared for sale or service at a function such as a
religious or charitable organization's bake sale if the consumer is
informed by a clearly visible placard at the sales or service location
that the food is prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to regulation
and inspection by the health authority;
(4)
An area where food that is prepared as specified in Subsection
C(3) above is sold or offered for human consumption;
(5)
A kitchen in a private home, such as a family child-care home,
as defined at N.J.A.C. 10:126-1.2; or a bed-and-breakfast guesthouse
or bed-and-breakfast homestay as defined at N.J.A.C. 5:70-1.5, that
prepares and offers food to guests if the home is owner occupied,
and breakfast is the only meal offered; or
(6)
A private home that receives catered or home-delivered food.
RISK
The likelihood that an adverse health effect will occur within
a population as a result of a hazard in a food.
RISK TYPE 1 ESTABLISHMENT
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-31]
A.
Any retail food establishment that:
(1)
Serves or sells only prepackaged, nonpotentially hazardous foods;
(2)
Prepares only nonpotentially hazardous foods; or
(3)
Stores a limited amount of prepackaged potentially hazardous
foods.
B.
Such retail establishments may include, but are not limited
to, convenience store operations and coffee shops.
RISK TYPE 2 ESTABLISHMENT
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-31]
A.
Any retail food establishment that has a limited menu and:
(1)
Prepares, cooks, and serves most products immediately;
(2)
Exercises hot and cold holding of potentially hazardous foods
after preparation or cooking;
(3)
Limits the complex preparation of potentially hazardous foods,
including the cooking, cooling, and reheating for hot holding, to
two or fewer items; or
(4)
Stores a significant amount of prepackaged potentially hazardous
foods.
B.
Such retail establishments may include, but are not limited
to, retail food store operations, schools that do not serve a highly
susceptible population, and quick service operations, depending on
the menu and preparation procedures.
RISK TYPE 3 ESTABLISHMENT
A.
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, and whose primary service population
is a highly susceptible population.
B.
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.
RISK TYPE 4 ESTABLISHMENT
A retail food establishment that conducts specialized processes
such as smoking, curing, canning, bottling, and acidification designed
to control pathogen proliferation, or any reduced oxygen packaging
intended for extended shelf-life where such activities may require
the assistance of a trained food technologist. Such establishments
include those establishments conducting specialized processing at
retail.
SUPERMARKET
A self-service store, larger in size and with a wider selection
than a traditional grocery store, offering a variety of food merchandise,
organized into departments such as meat, produce, dairy, and baked
goods along with shelf space reserved for canned and packaged goods
as well as for various nonfood items such as household cleaners, pharmacy
products, and pet supplies.
TEMPORARY RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT
A retail food establishment that operates for a period of
no more than 14 consecutive days in conjunction with a single event
or celebration.
UTENSIL
A food-contact implement or container used in the storage,
preparation, transportation, dispensing, sale, or service of food,
such as kitchenware or tableware that is multiuse, single-service,
or single-use; gloves used in contact with food; food temperature
measuring devices; and probe-type price or identification tags used
in contact with food.
VENDING MACHINE
A self-service device that, upon insertion of a coin, paper
currency, token, card, or key, or by optional manual operation, dispenses
unit servings of food in bulk or in packages without the necessity
of replenishing the device between each vending operation.
[Amended 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
A. No person
or persons, firm or corporation shall pursue the business or occupation
of keeping any restaurant, temporary retail food establishment, bakery,
mobile or temporary food-handling unit, liquor store, retail food
market, day-care center, educational facility, or shall own or maintain
a food and/or beverage vending machine until the operator or operators
thereof shall have first obtained from the Director of the Department
of Health, as hereto provided, a license to carry on and conduct the
same and shall pay the amount of license fee thereof as herein fixed
by the City of Vineland. Such license shall be placed in a conspicuous
place near the public entrance to the establishment along with the
evaluation placard. In the case of a food and/or beverage vending
machine, the operator having the responsibility to obtain said license
shall be the owner of the vending machine, provided that an owner
of a vending machine may, by written contract, delegate the responsibility
of obtaining the license to the owner or lessee of the premises in
which the vending machine is located; provided further, however, that
in such case the owner of the vending machine must supply the Director
of the Department of Health, prior to the date that the license fee
must be paid, with a list of all persons to whom the responsibility
of obtaining the licenses has been delegated, as well as the location
of each said machine, and shall also file with said department a copy
of each said agreement placing the burden of obtaining the license
upon the owner or lessee of the premises upon which said vending machine
has been placed, and, if the person other than the owner of the vending
machine fails to obtain said license, the owner of the vending machine
shall bear the responsibility for obtaining the same and paying the
fees therefor.
B. Upon acceptance
of the license issued by the Department of Health, the license holder
in order to retain the license shall:
(1) If a food establishment is required under N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.5i or §
563-21 to operate under a HACPP plan, comply with the plan as specified under §
563-21;
(2) Comply
with directives of the regulatory authority including time frames
for corrective actions specified in inspection reports, notices, orders,
warnings, and other directives issued by the regulatory authority
in regard to the license holder’s food establishment or in response
to community emergencies; and
(3) Accept
notices issued and served by the regulatory authority according to
law.
Application for such license shall be made, in writing, to the
Director of the Department of Health and shall state the name of the
applicant, the address where said business is to be conducted and
the name, address and phone number of the owner of the premises in
which the business is to be conducted.
A. Any applicant for a temporary retail food license intending on utilizing
a commercial food establishment owned by an entity other than the
applicant as its base of operation, as required by N.J.A.C. 8:24-1
et seq., must submit its completed application not less than two weeks
before the effective date of the license.
B. Mobile units requiring a valid license plate to operate shall provide
the vehicle's license plate number on the application.
All required fees established by this chapter shall be paid by the applicant upon submission of applications or other associated documentation for a license, approval or certification or within 15 days of receipt of a statement for other program services outlined in §
563-6 from the City of Vineland Department of Health.
In the event that an applicant shall fail to pay the fees required
by this chapter, or in the event that any payment shall be dishonored,
suspended or cancelled, then any permit, approval, or certification
that is the subject of such fee or payment shall be deemed cancelled.
Samples of food, drink and other substances may be taken and
examined by the regulatory authority as often as may be deemed necessary
for the detection of unwholesomeness or adulteration. The Health Officer
may condemn and forbid the sale of or cause to be removed or destroyed
any food or drink which is deemed to be unwholesome or adulterated.
[Amended 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
A. As frequently as may be deemed necessary, the regulatory authority
may inspect or cause to be inspected any retail food establishment
located within the City of Vineland.
B. If a person denies access to the regulatory authority, the representative
of the regulatory authority shall:
(1) Inform the person that:
(a)
The license holder is required to allow access to the regulatory authority as specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-8.2 and §
563-11;
(b)
Access is a condition of the acceptance and retention of a food establishment license to operate as specified under §
563-11; and
(c)
If access is denied, an order issued by the appropriate authority
allowing access, hereinafter referred to as an inspection order, may
be obtained according to law; and
(2) Make a final request for access.
(3) If, after the regulatory authority presents credentials and provides
notice as specified under the above section, explains the authority
upon which access is requested, and makes a final request for access
as specified in the above-noted section, the person in charge continues
to refuse access, the regulatory authority shall provide details of
the denial of access on an inspection report form.
[Amended 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
A. All retail food establishments licensed hereunder shall comply with
all regulations as promulgated in N.J.A.C. 8:24 et seq. dealing with
the construction, operation and maintenance of retail food establishments.
A copy of N.J.A.C. 8:24 et seq. is annexed hereto and made a part
hereof without the inclusion of the text herein.
B. By January 1, 2011, at least one person in charge at all Risk Type
2 establishments shall have successfully completed a food safety education
program offered by the regulatory authority or other equivalent provider.
C. Whole meat roasts, including beef, corned beef, lamb, pork, and cured
pork roasts such as ham shall be cooked in an oven that is preheated
to the temperature specified for the roast's weight in the following
chart and that is held at that temperature:
|
Oven Type
|
Oven Temperature Based on Roast Weight
|
---|
|
|
Less than 10 Pounds
|
10 Pounds or More
|
|
Still dry
|
350° F. or more
|
250° F. or more
|
|
Convection
|
325° F. or more
|
250° F. or more
|
|
High humidity1
|
250° F. or less
|
250° F. or less
|
|
NOTES:
|
|
1Relative humidity greater than 90%
for at least one hour as measured in the cooking chamber or exit of
the oven; or in a moisture-impermeable bag that provides 100% humidity.
|
D. Ceramic, china, and crystal utensils, and decorative utensils such
as hand-painted ceramic or china that are used in contact with food
shall be lead-free or contain levels of lead not exceeding the limits
of the following utensil categories:
|
Utensil Category
|
Ceramic Article Description
|
Maximum Lead
(mg/L)
|
---|
|
Beverage mugs, cups, pitchers
|
Coffee mugs
|
0.5
|
|
Large hollowware (excluding pitchers)
|
Bowls equal to or greater than 1.1 liter (1.16 quart)
|
1.0
|
|
Small hollowware (excluding cups and mugs)
|
Bowls less than 1.1 liter (1.16 quart)
|
2.0
|
|
Flat tableware
|
Plates, saucers
|
3.0
|
The Health Officer may order any person who takes part in the
actual operation of the retail food establishment or any employee
in the same who is suspected of being ill or infected with a reportable
or communicable disease, or who has been exposed to a reportable or
communicable disease, to submit to a physical examination, X-ray studies,
laboratory studies, and such other diagnostic procedures as deemed
necessary to determine whether or not such person is communicable
to others or is a carrier of disease.
In case such physical examination and/or physician report shall
indicate that any of such persons are suffering from any reportable
or communicable disease, then in such case the Health Officer or the
Director of the Department of Health is then authorized to require
either or both of the following measures:
A. The immediate exclusion of the owner, operator or employee from all
retail food establishments until pronounced recovered or cured by
a duly licensed New Jersey physician.
B. The immediate closing of the retail food establishment concerned
until no danger of disease outbreak exists, in the opinion of the
Health Officer.
C. The Health Officer or the Director of the Department of Health may
prohibit the sale or distribution of food which:
(1) Has been prepared by a person who is ill or infected with a communicable
disease which may be transmitted through food; or
(2) Is considered to be a possible vehicle for spread of disease.
D. Based on the findings of the investigation as specified in N.J.A.C. 8:24-8.8 and §§
563-15 and 16, to control disease transmission, the regulatory authority may issue an order of restriction or exclusion to a suspected food employee or the permit holder without prior warning, notice of a hearing, or a hearing if the order:
[Added 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
(1) States
the reasons for the restriction or exclusion that is ordered;
(2) States
the evidence that the food employee or license holder shall provide
in order to demonstrate that the reasons for the restriction or exclusion
are eliminated;
(3) States
that the suspected food employee or the license holder may request
an appeal hearing by submitting a timely request as provided in law;
and
(4) Provides
the name and address of the regulatory authority representative to
whom a request for an appeal hearing may be made.
Any person, corporation or member of a partnership or corporation
violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction,
be subject to a penalty of not less than $250 nor more than $1,000
and, upon failure to pay said fine, may be committed to the county
jail for a period not exceeding 10 days. Each violation of any of
the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed and taken to be a separate
and distinct offense, which penalty shall be sued for and recovered
in an action before the City of Vineland Municipal Court, by either
summons or warrant, and shall be prosecuted in the name of said city.
In addition to the penalty prescribed in §
563-19 and the revocation provisions of §
563-5, the Department of Health may temporarily close any retail food establishment, temporary retail food establishment, mobile unit, etc., if any defendant convicted of violation of any of the provisions of this chapter twice within a period of six months, for a period of from five days to 10 days, or until City Council acts upon a permanent revocation under §
563-5 hereof, and may cause a notice to be posted on the main entrance of said restaurant or temporary retail food establishment reading "Closed by the City of Vineland Department of Health."
[Added 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-30]
A. If the regulatory authority approves a HACCP plan as required under
N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.5i or Ordinance No. 148, the license holder shall:
(1) Comply with the approved HACCP plans and procedures that are submitted
as specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-9.1; and
(2) Maintain and provide to the regulatory authority, upon request, records
specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-9.1 that demonstrate that the following
are routinely employed:
(a)
Procedures for monitoring the critical control points;
(b)
Monitoring of the critical control points;
(c)
Verification of the effectiveness of the operation or process;
and
(d)
Necessary corrective actions if there is failure at a critical
control point.
B. In a food establishment that serves a highly susceptible population,
the following criteria apply to juice:
(1) For the purposes of this Subsection
B only, children who are age nine or less and receive food in a school, day-care setting, or similar facility that provides custodial care are included as highly susceptible populations;
(2) Unpackaged juice that is prepared on the premises for service or
sale in a ready-to-eat form shall be processed under a HACCP plan
that contains the information specified under N.J.A.C. 8:24-9.1 and
as specified in 21 CFR 120, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
(HACCP) Systems, Subpart B Pathogen Reduction, 120.24 Process controls.