Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-5-509 - General Food Service and Food Handling Standards

A. A licensee that prepares food for enrolled children on facility premises shall, if required by 9 A.A.C. 8, Article 1, and the local ordinances of the local health department where the facility is located, obtain a food establishment permit issued under 9 A.A.C. 8, Article 1, and:

1. Provide the Department with a copy of the facility's food establishment permit before the Department issues a license to the facility,

2. Maintain the facility's current food establishment permit on the facility's premises, and

3. Provide a copy of the facility's current food establishment permit to the Department upon request.

B. If a licensee contracts with a food establishment to prepare and deliver food to the facility, the licensee shall obtain and provide the Department with a copy of the food establishment's permit, issued under 9 A.A.C. 8, Article 1, at the following times:

1. Before the Department issues a license to the facility,

2. Upon contracting with the food establishment, and

3. Every 12 months after the date the contract is entered into while the contract is in effect.

C. A licensee shall ensure that:

1. Enrolled children, except infants and children with special needs who cannot wash their own hands, wash their hands with soap and running water before and after handling or eating food;

2. A staff member:

a. Washes the hands of an infant or a child with special needs who cannot wash the child's own hands before and after the infant or child with special needs handles or eats food using:

i. A washcloth,

ii. A single-use paper towel, or

iii. Soap and running water; and

b. If using a washcloth, uses each washcloth on only one child and only one time before it is laundered or discarded;

3. An enrolled child is not permitted to eat food directly off the floor, carpet, or ground or with utensils placed directly on the floor, carpet, or ground;

4. A staff member encourages, but never forces, enrolled children to eat food;

5. A staff member assists each enrolled child who needs assistance with eating

6. A staff member teaches self-feeding skills and habits of good nutrition to each enrolled child as necessary;

7. Lunch and dinner are family-style meals as demonstrated by at least one of the following:

a. Food is served from a serving container on the table where enrolled children are seated;

b. Enrolled children serve themselves, independently or with the help of a staff member, from a serving container on the table where enrolled children are seated;

c. Enrolled children pass a serving container from individual to individual;

d. In a facility where lunch or dinner is provided by the facility, a staff member sits at the table and eats the lunch or dinner with enrolled children; or

e. In a facility where each enrolled child brings the enrolled child's own lunch or dinner, a staff member sits at the table with the enrolled children and eats the staff member's own lunch or dinner;

8. Fresh milk is served from the original, commercially filled container, to a container used for meal service or a cup, and unused portions are not returned to the original container;

9. Milk served to an enrolled child older than two years of age is fat-free or 1% lowfat milk unless the enrolled child's parent requests otherwise;

10. Reconstituted dry milk is not served to meet the fluid milk requirement;

11. Juice served to children for a meal or snack is full-strength 100% vegetable or 100% fruit juice from an original, commercially filled container or reconstituted from a concentrate according to manufacturer instructions;

12. Fruit juice served to an enrolled child is limited to the following amounts:

a. For an enrolled child younger than six years of age, four ounces per day; or

b. For an enrolled child six years of age or older, six ounces per day;

13. A beverage sweetened with any kind of sugar product is not provided by the facility;

14. Each staff member is informed of a modified diet prescribed for an enrolled child by the child's parent or health care provider, and the modified diet is posted in the kitchen and in the child's activity area;

15. The food served to an enrolled child is consistent with a modified diet prescribed for the child by the child's parent or health care provider;

16. An enrolled child is not permitted in the kitchen during food preparation or food service except as part of an activity;

17. An enrolled child does not use the kitchen or a food storage area as a passageway;

18. A staff member:

a. Prepares a weekly menu at least one week in advance,

b. Includes on the menu the specific foods to be served on each day,

c. Dates each menu,

d. Posts each menu at least one day before the first meal on the menu will be served, and

e. Writes food substitutions on a posted menu no later than the morning of the day of meal service;

19. Non-single-use utensils and equipment used in preparing, eating, or drinking food are:

a. After each use:

i. Washed in an automatic dishwasher and air dried or heat dried; or

ii. Washed in hot soapy water, rinsed in clean water, sanitized, and air dried or heat dried; and

b. Stored in a clean area protected from contamination;

20. Single-use utensils and equipment are disposed of after being used;

21. Perishable foods are covered and stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of 41° F or below;

22. A refrigerator at the child care facility maintains a temperature of 41° F or below, as shown by a thermometer kept in the refrigerator at all times;

23. A freezer at the child care facility maintains a temperature of 0° F or below, as shown by a thermometer kept in the freezer at all times; and

24. Foods are prepared as close as possible to serving time and, if prepared in advance, are either:

a. Cold held at a temperature of 45° F or below or hot held at a temperature of 130° F or above until served, or

b. Cold held at a temperature of 45° F or below and then reheated to a temperature of at least 165° F before being served.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-5-509

Adopted effective December 12, 1986 (Supp. 86-6). Section repealed; new Section adopted effective October 17, 1997 (Supp. 97-4). Amended by final rulemaking at 8 A.A.R. 4060, effective November 10, 2002 (Supp. 02-3). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 16 A.A.R. 1564, effective September 30, 2010 (Supp. 10-3).