Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 3, September 1, 2024
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: The Cabinet for Health
Services is empowered by
KRS
217.808 et. seq. to regulate food vending
machines. This administrative regulation relates to the sanitation and
inspection of food vending machines, food vending commissaries and the issuance
and suspension of permits. The purpose of this administrative regulation is to
establish uniform requirements for the regulation of food vending machines and
food vending commissaries in Kentucky. Executive Order 96-862, effective July
2, 1996, reorganizes the Cabinet for Human Resources and places the Department
for Public Health and its programs under the Cabinet for Health
Services.
Section
3. Sanitation Requirements for Vending Machine Operations.
(1) Food supplies. At all times, including
while being prepared, stored, loaded, displayed, or transported, food intended
for sale through vending machines and condiments or other foods available at
vending machine locations shall be wholesome, correctly labeled and processed
under sanitary conditions acceptable to the cabinet and shall be protected from
contamination by all agents, including dust, insects, rodents, unclean
equipment and utensils, unnecessary handling, coughs, sneezes, flooding,
draining, and overhead leakage or condensation. All meat and meat products and
poultry and poultry products shall have been inspected and passed for
wholesomeness by an official governmental agency. All hermetically sealed foods
offered for sale shall have been processed in approved food processing
establishments. Home prepared food shall not be used or offered for sale
through vending machines. Special requirements.
(a) Milk and fluid milk products offered for
sale through vending machines shall be pasteurized, shall meet the Grade A
quality standards as established by law, and shall be dispensed only in
individual original containers.
(b)
Milk and fluid milk products and fluid nondairy products (creaming agents)
shall not be dispensed in vending machines as additional ingredients in hot
liquid beverages or other foods.
(c) Fresh fruits which may be eaten without
peeling shall be thoroughly washed in potable water at the packing plant by the
processor, or at the commissary before being placed in the vending machines for
dispensing. The washed fruit shall be protected from contamination after the
washing process.
(d) All food,
other than fresh fruit, shall be stored or packaged in clean protective
containers, and all food shall be handled and vended in a sanitary
manner.
(e) Potentially hazardous
food offered for sale through vending machines shall be dispensed to the
consumer in the individual, original container or package into which it was
placed at the commissary or at the manufacturer's or processor's plant.
Potentially hazardous food shall not be dispensed from bulk food
machines.
(f) Potentially hazardous
food shall be maintained at safe temperatures except as follows:
1. During necessary periods of preparation
and packaging; and
2. During the
actual time required to load or otherwise service the machine and for a maximum
machine ambient temperature recovery period of thirty (30) minutes following
completion of loading or servicing operation.
(2) Consumer containers. All food-contact
surfaces of containers shall be protected from contamination. If condiments or
other foods are provided for service in conjunction with food dispensed by a
vending machine, they shall be packaged in individual portions in
single-service containers or shall be dispensed from approved sanitary
dispensers which are washed, sanitized and filled at the commissary, or be
commercially prepared in nonreusable containers. Relish bowls and similar
condiment containers shall not be used at unattended locations. Drinking
straws, stirrers, toothpicks, spoons, knives, forks, and similar articles which
are provided in conjunction with food dispensed by a vending machine shall be
individually wrapped or dispensed from bulk containers in a sanitary
manner.
(3) Equipment maintenance
and operations.
(a) Vending machines
dispensing potentially hazardous food shall be provided with adequate
refrigerating or heating units, or both, and thermostatic controls which insure
the maintenance of applicable temperatures at all times. Such vending machines
shall also have controls which prevent the machine from vending potentially
hazardous food until serviced by the company, in the event of power failure or
other conditions, resulting in noncompliance with temperature requirements in
the food storage compartment. Hot food vending machines designed to heat foods
through the potentially hazardous range of forty-five (45) degrees Fahrenheit
to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, shall also be equipped with automatic controls which
prevent the machine from vending such food if heating through this temperature
range is not accomplished in 120 minutes or less. Provided, however, equipment
which was installed prior to March 12, 1975 that does not meet fully the above
requirements, may be continued in use if it is in good repair, capable of being
maintained in a sanitary condition, and the food contact surfaces are
nontoxic.
(b) Potentially hazardous
food that has failed to conform to the time-temperature requirements of this
administrative regulation, shall be removed from the vending machine, and be
denatured or otherwise rendered unusable for human consumption.
(c) Vending machines dispensing potentially
hazardous food shall be provided with one (1) or more thermometers which, to an
accuracy of plus or minus three (3) degrees Fahrenheit, indicate the air
temperature of the warmest part of the refrigerated food storage compartment,
or the coldest part of the heated food storage compartment, whichever is
applicable.
(4)
Inspection of vending machine commissaries. All commissaries providing food for
vending machines covered by this administrative regulation shall comply with
the applicable provisions of the current "State Food Service Code."
(5) Machine location.
(a) Vending machines, ovens and other
equipment shall be located in a room, area or space which can be maintained in
a clean condition and which is protected from overhead leakage or condensation
from water, waste, or sewer piping. The immediate area in which the equipment
is located shall be well lighted and ventilated. Each vending machine shall be
located so that the space around and under the machine can be easily cleaned
and maintained, and so that insect and rodent harborage is not
created.
(b) The floor area where
vending machines are located shall be reasonably smooth, of cleanable
construction, and be capable of withstanding repeated washing and scrubbing.
This space and the immediate surroundings of each vending machine shall be
maintained in a clean condition.
(c) Adequate hand-washing facilities,
including hot and cold or tempered running water, soap and individual towels,
shall be convenient to the machine location and shall be available for use by
employees servicing or loading bulk food machines.
(6) Single-service articles. Single-service
articles shall be purchased in sanitary packages which protect the articles
from contamination, shall be stored in a clean, dry place until used, and shall
be handled in a sanitary manner. Such articles shall be furnished to the
customer in the original individual wrapper or from a sanitary single-service
dispenser. All single-service articles shall be protected from manual contact,
dust, insects, rodents, and other contamination.
(7) Other equipment.
(a) All other equipment at the vending
location must be kept clean. Food-contact surfaces, if any, must be cleaned,
rinsed and sanitized at a frequency established by the cabinet based upon the
type of product being dispensed.
(b) The cavities and door edges of microwave
ovens shall be kept free of encrusted grease deposits and other accumulated
soils and shall be cleaned daily, or as often as is necessary to achieve the
safe, sanitary operation thereof. All doors, seals, hinges, and latch fasteners
(screws and related hardware) shall be kept tight and adjusted in accordance
with manufacturer's procedures. Microwave ovens shall be in compliance with
applicable safety standards of the United States Food and Drug Administration's
Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
(c) Food-contact surfaces of all equipment
and utensils must be protected from contamination at all times including while
being transported from the commissary to the vending location.
(8) Exterior construction and
maintenance.
(a) The vending machine shall be
of sturdy construction and the exterior shall be designed, fabricated,
finished, and maintained to facilitate its being kept clean and to minimize the
entrance of insects and rodents. The exterior of the machine shall be kept
clean.
(b) Door and panel access
openings to the food and container storage spaces of the machine shall be tight
fitting, and if necessary, gasketed to prevent the entrance of dust, moisture,
insects, and rodents.
(c) All
ventilation louvers or openings into vending machines shall be effectively
screened. Screening material for openings into food and container storage
spaces of the machine shall be not less than sixteen (16) mesh to the inch or
equivalent. Screening material for openings into condenser units which are
separated from food and container storage spaces shall be not less than eight
(8) mesh to the inch or equivalent.
(d) In all vending machines in which the
condenser unit is an integral part of the machine, such unit when located below
the food and container storage space, shall be separated from such space by a
dust proof barrier, and when located above, shall be sealed from such
space.
(e) In order to prevent
seepage underneath the machine and to promote cleaning, free standing vending
machines shall have one (1) or more of these elevation or movability features:
1. Be light enough to be manually moved with
ease by one (1) person; or
2. Be
elevated on legs or extended side walls to afford, with or without kick plates,
and unobstructed vertical space of at least six (6) inches under the machine;
or
3. Mounted on rollers or casters
which permit easy movement; or
4.
Be sealed to the floor.
Where used, kick plates shall be easily removable or be capable
of being rotated. These kick plates shall be designed and installed to make the
area under the machine easily accessible for routine cleaning without unlocking
the cabinet door.
(f) Counter type machines shall be:
1. Sealed to the counter; or
2. Mounted on four (4) inch legs or the
equivalent; or
3. Easily moved for
cleaning with service connections in place.
(g) All service connections through an
exterior wall of the machine including water, gas, electrical, and
refrigeration connections, shall be grommeted, or closed with no opening over
1/32 inch to prevent the entrance of insects and rodents. All service
connections to machines vending potentially hazardous food shall be such as to
discourage unauthorized or unintentional disconnection.
(9) Interior construction and maintenance.
(a) The nonfood-contact surfaces of the
interior of vending machines shall be designed and constructed to permit easy
cleaning and to facilitate maintenance operations and shall be kept clean and
in good repair. Inaccessible surfaces and areas shall be minimized.
(b) All food-contact surfaces of vending
machines shall be smooth, in good repair, and free of breaks, corrosion, open
seams, cracks, and chipped places. The design of such surfaces shall preclude
routine contact between food and "V" type threaded surfaces except that in
equipment where such contact is unavoidable, such as ice makers, such threads
shall be minimized. All joints and welds in food-contact surfaces shall be
smooth, and all internal angles and corners of such surfaces shall be rounded
to facilitate cleaning.
(c) If
solder or other sealer is used on food-contact surfaces, it shall be composed
of safe materials and be corrosion resistant.
(d) All food-contact surfaces of vending
machines, including containers, pipes, valves, and fittings, shall be
constructed and repaired with safe materials, including finishing materials;
shall be corrosion-resistant, nonabsorbent, easily cleanable and durable under
conditions of normal use and shall be cleaned, rinsed, and sanitized at a
frequency established by the cabinet based upon the type of product being
dispensed.
(e) All food-contact
surfaces, unless designed for in-place cleaning, shall be accessible for manual
cleaning, rinsing, sanitizing, and inspection:
1. Without being disassembled; or
2. By disassembly without the use of tools;
or
3. By easy disassembling with
the use of only simple tools such as a screwdriver or an open-end
wrench.
(f) All
food-contact parts or surfaces not designed for in-place cleaning (paragraph
(g) of this subsection) shall be cleaned, rinsed and sanitized in clean
portable containers or in utensil washing sinks at the location or at the
commissary. Cleaning shall consist of washing in warm water containing a
suitable detergent and brushing or wiping, as appropriate. Rinsing shall
consist of immersion or wiping with clean clear rinse water. Sanitizing shall
be accomplished by:
1. Immersion or rinsing
in water of at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty (30) seconds;
or
2. Immersion for one (1) minute
in a chemical sanitizing solution containing at least fifty (50) parts per
million (p.p.m.) of available chlorine, or twelve and five-tenths (12.5) p.p.m.
of available iodine, or 200 p.p.m. of quaternary ammonium sanitizer.
3. When chemicals are used for sanitization,
a test kit or other device that accurately measures the parts per million
concentration of the solution shall be provided and used.
(g) In machines designed so that food-contact
surfaces are not readily removable, all such surfaces intended for in-place
cleaning shall be designed and fabricated that:
1. Cleaning and sanitizing solutions can be
circulated throughout a fixed system using an effective cleaning and sanitizing
regimen; and
2. Cleaning and
sanitizing solutions will contact all food-contact surfaces; and
3. The system is self-draining or capable of
being completely evacuated; and
4.
The procedures utilized result in thorough cleaning of the equipment.
(h) The openings into all
nonpressurized containers used for the storage of vendible food, including
water, shall be provided with covers which prevent contamination from reaching
the interior of the containers. Such covers shall be designed to provide a
flange which overlaps the opening, and shall be sloped to provide drainage from
the cover wherever the collection of condensation, moisture, or splash is
possible. Concave covers are prohibited. Any port opening through the cover
shall be flanged upward at least three-sixteenths (3/16) of an inch, and shall
be provided with an overlapping cover flanged downward. Condensation, drip, or
dust deflecting aprons shall be provided on all piping, thermometers,
equipment, rotary shafts, and other functional parts extending into the food
container unless a watertight joint is provided. Such aprons shall be
considered as satisfactory covers for those openings which are in continuous
use. Gaskets, if used, shall be of safe materials, relatively stable, and
relatively nonabsorbent, and shall have a smooth surface. All gasket retaining
grooves shall be easily cleanable.
(i) The delivery tube or chute and orifice of
all bulk food vending machines shall be protected from normal manual contact,
dust, insects, rodents, and other contamination. The design shall divert
condensation or moisture from the normal filling position of the container
receiving the food. The vending stage of such machines shall be provided with a
tight-fitting, self-closing door or cover which is kept closed except when food
is being removed. The cup filling area or platform of controlled location
vending machines shall not require a door or cover if there is no opening in
the cabinet interior at the point other than for dispensing tube(s) or trapped
waste tubing.
(j) The food storage
compartment and other compartments in refrigerated vending machines which are
subject to condensation or cooling water retention shall be self-draining or
equipped with a drain outlet which permits complete draining. In vending
machines designed to store cartoned beverages, diversion devices, and retention
pans or drains for leakage shall be provided. All such drains, devices, and
retention pans shall be easily cleanable.
(k) Can and bottle openers which come into
contact with the food or the food-contact surfaces of the containers shall be
constructed of corrosion-resistant, nonabsorbent, and safe materials and shall
be kept clean. Cutting or piercing parts of multiuse openers which come into
contact with the food or food-contact surface of containers shall be reasonably
protected from manual contact, dust, insects, rodents, and other contamination;
and such parts shall be readily removable for cleaning.
(l) Lighting fixtures located in vending
machines shall be shielded, coated or otherwise shatter resistant, except that
this requirement shall not apply to vending machines which dispense only
prepackaged foods.
(10)
Water supply.
(a) All water used in vending
machines shall be of a safe and sanitary quality and from a source constructed
and operated in accordance with applicable standards of the Natural Resources
and Environmental Protection Cabinet. Water used as a food ingredient shall be
piped to the vending machine under pressure.
(b) All plumbing connections and fittings
shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the State Plumbing
Code.
(c) If used, water filters or
other water conditioning devices shall be of a type which may be disassembled
for periodic cleaning or replacement of the active element. Replacement
elements shall be handled in a sanitary manner.
(d) To prevent leaching of toxic materials
caused by possible interaction of carbonated water, piping and contact
surfaces, postmix soft drink vending machines manufactured after January 1,
1975, which are designed with an incoming water supply air gap shall have no
copper tubing or other potentially toxic water system tubing between the air
gap and the downstream, carbonated water dispensing nozzle.
(e) To prevent leaching of toxic materials
caused by possible interaction of carbonated water, piping and contact
surfaces, postmix soft drink vending machines which are directly connected to
the external water supply system shall be equipped with a double (or two (2)
single) spring-loaded check valves or other devices which will provide positive
protection against the entrance of carbon dioxide or carbonated water into the
water supply system. Backflow preventive devices shall be located to facilitate
servicing and maintenance. No copper tubing or other potentially toxic tubing
or contact surfaces shall be permitted in or downstream from the check valves
or backflow devices. These check valves or devices should be inspected and
cleaned or replaced annually.
(f)
Where spring-loaded check valves are used to prevent the backflow of carbon
dioxide into accessible upstream copper or other potentially toxic piping or
tubing, a screen of not less than 100 mesh to the inch shall be installed in
the water line immediately upstream from the check valves in a location which
permits servicing or replacement.
(g) In all vending machines in which carbon
dioxide is used as a propellant, all food-contact surfaces from the check
valves or other protective devices, including the valves or devices, shall be
of such material as to preclude the production of toxic substances which might
result from interaction with carbon dioxide or carbonated water.
(11) Waste disposal.
(a) All trash and other solid or liquid waste
shall be removed from the machine location as frequently as may be necessary to
prevent nuisance and unsightliness, and shall be disposed of in accordance with
applicable administrative regulations of the Natural Resources and
Environmental Protection Cabinet.
(b) Self-closing, leak-proof, easily
cleanable, insect-proof, and rodent-proof waste receptacles shall be provided
in the vicinity of each machine or machines to receive used cups, cartons,
wrappers, straws, closures, and other items.
(c) Plastic bags and wet-strength paper bags
may be used to line the receptacles. Soiled waste receptacles shall be cleaned
at a frequency to prevent insect and rodent attraction.
(d) Waste receptacles shall not be located
within the vending machines with the exception of those machines dispensing
only packaged food with crown closures; in which case, the closure receptacles
may be located within the machine. Waste receptacles shall not be located under
counters or otherwise enclosed in a manner that will create a nuisance or
prevent space around and under the counter or enclosure from being easily
cleaned and maintained. Suitable racks and cases shall be provided for multiuse
containers or bottles.
(e)
Containers shall be provided within all machines dispensing liquid food in bulk
for the collection of drip, spillage, overflow, or other internal wastes. Such
machines shall be equipped with an automatic shutoff device at the waste pail
or other devices or valves which will place the machine out of operation before
the waste pail overflows. Such devices shall prevent water or liquid product
from continuously running in the event of the failure of any single control,
high level control, or other flow control device in the liquid product or water
system.
(f) Containers or surfaces
on which such wastes may accumulate shall be readily removable for cleaning,
shall be easily cleanable, and shall be corrosion-resistant. If liquid wastes
from drip, spillage, or overflow, which originate within the machine are
discharged into a sewerage system, the connection to the sewer shall be through
an air gap.
(12) Delivery
of food, equipment, and supplies to machine locations. Food, food-contact
surfaces of containers, equipment and supplies, shall be protected from
contamination while in transit to machine location. Potentially hazardous food,
while in transit and in storage on location, shall be maintained at safe
temperatures.
(13) Personnel -
cleanliness.
(a) Employees shall maintain a
high degree of personal cleanliness and shall conform to good hygienic
practices while engaged in direct handling of foods, or food-contact surfaces
of utensils or equipment.
(b)
Employees shall thoroughly wash their hands with soap and warm water
immediately prior to engaging in any vending machine servicing operation which
may bring them into contact with food, or with food-contact surfaces of
utensils, containers, or equipment. While engaged in such service operations,
employees shall wear clean outer garments, shall not use tobacco in any form
and shall keep their fingernails clean and trimmed.
Section 6. Issuance of Permits.
(1) No person shall operate a vending machine
company within the Commonwealth of Kentucky who does not possess a valid permit
issued to him by the cabinet as provided by
KRS
217.809. Only a person who complies with the
requirements of this administrative regulation shall be entitled to receive and
retain such a permit. Permits shall not be transferable from one company to
another company or place. A valid permit shall be conspicuously posted in the
headquarters office of every food vending company.
(2) Any person desiring to operate one (1) or
more vending machines in the Commonwealth of Kentucky shall make application in
writing on Form DFS-208. This form is incorporated by reference and may be
viewed or obtained at the Department for Public Health, 275 East Main Street,
Frankfort, Kentucky 40621, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m. Such applicant shall provide the following information:
(a) The applicant's full name, post office
address, and whether such applicant is an individual, firm or corporation. If
any partnership exists, the names of the partners, together with their
addresses, shall be included.
(b)
The location of the commissary or commissaries and of other establishments
where vending machines are repaired or renovated.
(c) The identity and form of the products to
be dispensed through vending machines and the number of each such type vending
machine in the applicant's possession.
(d) The company shall maintain and make
available to the cabinet upon request, a list of the number of all vending
machines operated by the company and their specific locations within each
county served and of all commissaries or other establishments from which the
machines are serviced.
(e)
Accompany each application for a permit to operate a vending machine company
with the correct fee as provided by
KRS
217.811.
(f) The application shall contain the
signature of the applicant or applicants.
(3) Upon receipt of such application, the
cabinet shall make an inspection of the vending machine company to determine
compliance with the provisions of this administrative regulation. A numbered
operator's permit shall be issued to the applicant by the cabinet after
compliance by the operator with the applicable provisions of this
administrative regulation.
(4) The
company shall provide on each machine or on a wall placard placed at the
location of the machine(s) the company's name, address and telephone number.
This identification shall also contain the words "Cabinet for Human Resources
Permit ______ " or "CHR Permit _______ ." Such information shall be readily
visible after placement on the machine or at the machine location.
(5) Whenever a machine is no longer in
service, is sold or transferred to another vending machine company, the company
holding the permit for that machine shall remove the identification for such
machine.