New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 7 - HEALTH
Chapter 6 - FOOD HANDLING
Part 2 - FOOD SERVICE AND FOOD PROCESSING
Section 7.6.2.7 - DEFINITIONS

(1) "Adulterated" has the meaning state in the New Mexico Food Act, Section 25-2-10 NMSA 1978.

(2) "Critical control point" means a point, step, or procedure in a food process at which a control measure can be applied and at which control is essential to prevent, reduce to an acceptable level, or eliminate an identified food hazard.

(3) "Critical limit" means the maximum or minimum value to which a physical, biological, or chemical parameter must be controlled at a critical control point to prevent, eliminate, or reduce to an acceptable level the occurrence of the identified food hazard.

(4) "Drinking water" means water that meets criteria as specified in 20.7.10 NMAC. Drinking Water is traditionally known as "potable water", and includes the term "water" except where the term used connotes that the water is not potable, such as "boiler water," "mop water," "rainwater," "wastewater," and "non-drinking" water.

(5) "Food establishment" means an operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, or vends food directly to the consumer, or otherwise provides food for human consumption such as a restaurant; satellite or catered feeding location; catering operation if the operation provides food directly to a consumer or to a conveyance used to transport people; market; vending location; conveyance used to transport people; an institution; or food bank; and relinquishes possession of food to a consumer directly, or indirectly through a delivery service such as home delivery of grocery orders or restaurant takeout orders, or delivery service that is provided by common carriers.

(6) "Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) plan" means a document prepared in accordance with the principles of HACCP to ensure control of hazards which are significant for food safety.

(7) "Hermetically sealed container" means an airtight container that is designed and intended to be secure against the entry of microorganisms and to maintain the commercial sterility of its contents after processing, or to maintain the controls which prevent potential growth of microorganisms or the elaboration of toxins through acidity (pH) or water activity (aw).

(8) "Public water system" has the meaning stated in 20.7.10 NMAC.

(9) "Regulatory authority" means the New Mexico environment department.

(10) "Temporary food establishment" (TFE) means a food establishment that operates at a fixed location in conjunction with a single event or celebration for a period not exceeding the length of the event or celebration, and does not exceed 30 days.

(1) "Acid food" means food that has a natural pH of 4.6 or below.

(2) "Acidified food" means low-acid food to which acid(s) or acid food(s) are added and have a water activity (aw) greater than 0.85 and have a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below. Carbonated beverages and food that are stored, distributed, and retailed under refrigeration are not classified as acidified food.

(3) "Control point" means a step at which biological, chemical, or physical factors can be controlled.

(4) "Corrective action" means an action to be taken when the results of monitoring at the critical control point indicate a loss of control.

(5) "Deviation" means failure to meet a critical limit.

(6) "Food code" means the 2017 United States food and drug administration model food code.

(7) "Food handler card" means a card issued to an individual after successful completion of a food handler training program to function as a food employee.

(8) "Food handler training program" means an ANSI/ASTM E2659-09 accredited food handler training certificate program.

(9) "Good manufacturing practices" (GMPs) means the minimum sanitary and processing requirements related to production methods, equipment, facilities, and other controls that a food processing plant must meet to assure that food is safe and wholesome.

(10) "Hazard analysis and critical control point" (HACCP) means a food safety management system that focuses on the identification, evaluation, and control of food safety hazards.

(11) "Hazard analysis" means the process of collecting and evaluating information on hazards associated with the food under consideration to decide which are significant and must be addressed in the HACCP plan.

(12) "Home-based food processing operation" means any business in which a residential kitchen is permitted to process approved food that is not classified as a TCS food and is packaged and is offered directly to the consumer.

(13) "Jerky" means a dried, finished meat, poultry, fish, or game animal product having a water activity (aw) less than 0.85.

(14) "Low acid food" means any food, other than alcoholic beverages, with a finished equilibrium pH greater than 4.6 and a water activity (aw) greater than 0.85. Tomatoes and tomato products having a finished equilibrium pH less than 4.7 are not classified as low acid food.

(15) "Misbranded" has the meaning stated in the New Mexico Food Act, Section 25-2-11 NMSA 1978.

(16) "Mobile food establishment" means a food establishment that is designed to be readily movable; completely retains its mobility; and is equipped to serve food. Mobile food establishment includes self-contained mobile units, non-self-contained mobile units, pushcarts, and mobile support units.

(17) "Mobile support unit" means an enclosed motor vehicle department-licensed driven or towed wheeled vehicle used in conjunction with a New Mexico based servicing area that travels to, and services, other mobile food establishments as needed to replenish supplies, including food and potable water, clean the interior of the unit, or dispose of liquid or solid wastes.

(18) "Monitoring" means to conduct a planned sequence of observations or measurements to assess whether a process, point, or procedure is under control and to produce an accurate record for future use in verification.

(19) "Non self-contained mobile unit" means an enclosed motor vehicle department-licensed driven or towed wheeled vehicle that is required to operate from a New Mexico based servicing area.

(20) "Operational plan" means a written plan outlining the product formulation, production steps, safety requirements, distribution, labeling, and recall procedures of a food product that will be implemented by a food establishment or food processing plant when processing packaged food.

(21) "Process authority" means an expert in the processes for controlling pathogenic microorganisms in food, and as such, is qualified by education, training and experience to evaluate all of the aspects of pathogen control measures and determine if such control measures, when properly implemented, will control pathogens effectively.

(22) "Pushcart" means a human propelled unit, equipped to serve food, that is required to operate from a New Mexico based servicing area.

(23) "Recall" means a return of food products that are either known or suspected to be adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise unsafe for human consumption, to the manufacturer or distributor, or that are disposed of by approved methods.

(24) "Sanitation standard operating procedures" (SSOPs) means written procedures specific to a single food processing plant to be followed routinely for the performance of designated operations to ensure sanitary conditions and to prevent product adulteration in a food processing plant.

(25) "Self-contained mobile unit" means an enclosed motor vehicle department-licensed driven or towed wheeled vehicle that is not required to operate from a New Mexico based servicing area.

(26) "Shelf-stable product" means a product that is hermetically sealed and, when stored at room temperature, should not demonstrate any microbial growth.

(27) "Standard operating procedures" (SOPs) means written procedures to be followed routinely for the performance of designated operations in a food processing plant.

(28) "Standards of identity" means legal standards, defined by the food and drug administration (FDA), for foods regarding minimum quality specifications, including permitted ingredients and processing requirements, to be marketed under a certain name.

(29) "Sub-ingredient" means an ingredient within another ingredient that has been added to a food and is declared parenthetically following the name of the ingredient or by dispersing each ingredient in its order of predominance in the ingredient statement without naming the original ingredient.

(30) "Validation" means that element of verification focused on collecting and evaluating scientific and technical information to determine whether the HACCP system, when properly implemented, will control effectively the identified food hazards.

(31) "Verification" means those activities, other than monitoring, that establish the validity of the HACCP plan and that the system is operating according to the plan. It includes validation procedures.