Current through April 3, 2024
(1) Accredited Program.
(a) "Accredited program" means a food
protection manager certification program that has been evaluated and listed by
an accrediting agency as conforming to national standards for organizations
that certify individuals.
(b)
"Accredited program" refers to the certification process and is a designation
based upon an independent evaluation of factors such as the sponsor's mission;
organizational structure; staff resources; revenue sources; policies; public
information regarding program scope, eligibility requirements,
re-certification, discipline and grievance procedures; and test development and
administration.
(c) "Accredited
program" does not refer to training functions or educational
programs.
(2) Additive.
(a) "Food additive" has the meaning stated in
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, § 201(s) and
21
CFR 170.3(e)(1).
(b) "Color additive" has the meaning stated
in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, § 201(t) and
21
CFR 70.3(f).
(3) "Adulterated" has the meaning
stated in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, § 402.
(4) "Approved" means acceptable to the
commissioner based on a determination of conformity with principles, practices,
and generally recognized standards that protect public health.
(5) Asymptomatic.
(a) "Asymptomatic" means without obvious
symptoms; not showing or producing indications of a disease or other medical
condition, such as an individual infected with a pathogen but not exhibiting or
producing any signs or symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice.
(b) "Asymptomatic" includes not showing
symptoms because symptoms have resolved or subsided, or because symptoms never
manifested.
(6)
"AW" means water activity which is a measure of the free
moisture in a food, is the quotient of the water vapor pressure of the
substance divided by the vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature,
and is indicated by the symbol AW.
(7) "Balut" means an embryo inside a fertile
egg that has been incubated for a period sufficient for the embryo to reach a
specific stage of development after which it is removed from incubation before
hatching.
(8) "Beverage" means a
liquid for drinking, including water.
(9) "Bottled drinking water" means water that
is sealed in bottles, packages, or other containers and offered for sale for
human consumption, including bottled mineral water.
(10) "Casing" means a tubular container for
sausage products made of either natural or artificial (synthetic)
material.
(11) "Certification
number" means a unique combination of letters and numbers assigned by a
shellfish control authority to a molluscan shellfish dealer according to the
provisions of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program.
(12) "CFR" means Code of Federal Regulations.
Citations in this chapter to the CFR refer sequentially to the Title, Part, and
Section numbers, such as 40 CFR 180.194 refers to Title 40, Part 180, Section
194.
(13) CIP.
(a) "CIP" means cleaned in place by the
circulation or flowing by mechanical means through a piping system of a
detergent solution, water rinse, and sanitizing solution onto or over equipment
surfaces that require cleaning, such as the method used, in part, to clean and
sanitize a frozen dessert machine.
(b) "CIP" does not include the cleaning of
equipment such as band saws, slicers, or mixers that are subjected to in-place
manual cleaning without the use of a CIP system.
(14) "Commingle" means:
(a) To combine shellstock harvested on
different days or from different growing areas as identified on the tag or
label, or
(b) To combine shucked
shellfish from containers with different container codes or different shucking
dates.
(15) Comminuted.
(a) "Comminuted" means reduced in size by
methods including chopping, flaking, grinding, or mincing.
(b) "Comminuted" includes fish or meat
products that are reduced in size and restructured or reformulated such as
gefilte fish, gyros, ground beef, and sausage; and a mixture of 2 or more types
of meat that have been reduced in size and combined, such as sausages made from
2 or more meats.
(16)
"Conditional employee" means a potential food employee to whom a job offer is
made, conditional on responses to subsequent medical questions or examinations
designed to identify potential food employees who may be suffering from a
disease that can be transmitted through food and done in compliance with Title
1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
(17) "Confirmed disease outbreak" means a
foodborne disease outbreak in which laboratory analysis of appropriate
specimens identifies a causative agent and epidemiological analysis implicates
the food as the source of the illness.
(18) "Consumer" means a person who is a
member of the public, takes possession of food, is not functioning in the
capacity of an operator of a food establishment or food processing plant, and
does not offer the food for resale.
(19) Core Item.
(a) "Core item" means a provision in this
chapter that is not designated as a priority item or a priority foundation
item.
(b) "Core item" includes an
item that usually relates to general sanitation, operational controls,
sanitation standard operating procedures (ssops), facilities or structures,
equipment design, or general maintenance.
(20) "Corrosion-resistant material" means a
material that maintains acceptable surface cleanability characteristics under
prolonged influence of the food to be contacted, the normal use of cleaning
compounds and sanitizing solutions, and other conditions of the use
environment.
(21) "Counter-mounted
equipment" means equipment that is not portable and is designed to be mounted
off the floor on a table, counter, or shelf.
(22) "Critical control point" means a point
or procedure in a specific food system where loss of control may result in an
unacceptable health risk.
(23)
"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 minimize the risk that the identified food safety hazard may
occur.
(24) "Cut leafy greens"
means fresh leafy greens whose leaves have been cut, shredded, sliced, chopped,
or torn. The term "leafy greens" includes iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce,
leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, baby leaf lettuce (i.e., immature lettuce or
leafy greens), escarole, endive, spring mix, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula
and chard. The term "leafy greens" does not include herbs such as cilantro or
parsley.
(25) "Department" means
the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
(26) "Dealer" means a person who is
authorized by a shellfish control authority for the activities of shellstock
shipper, shucker-packer, repacker, reshipper, or depuration processor of
molluscan shellfish according to the provisions of the National Shellfish
Sanitation Program.
(27)
"Disclosure" means a written statement that clearly identifies the
animal-derived foods which are, or can be ordered, raw, 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.
(28) Drinking
Water.
(a) "Drinking water" means water that
meets criteria as specified in 40 CFR 141 National Primary Drinking Water
Regulations.
(b) "Drinking water"
is traditionally known as "potable water."
(c) "Drinking water" 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 "nondrinking"
water.
(29) "Dry storage
area" means a room or area designated for the storage of packaged or
containerized bulk food that is not time /temperature control of safety food
and dry goods such as single-service items.
(30) Easily Cleanable.
(a) "Easily cleanable" means a characteristic
of a surface that:
1. Allows effective removal
of soil by normal cleaning methods;
2. Is dependent on the material, design,
construction, and installation of the surface; and
3. Varies with the likelihood of the
surface's role in introducing pathogenic or toxigenic agents or other
contaminants into food based on the surface's approved placement, purpose, and
use.
(b) "Easily
cleanable" includes a tiered application of the criteria that qualify the
surface as easily cleanable as specified in subparagraph (a) of this definition
to different situations in which varying degrees of cleanability are required
such as:
1. The appropriateness of stainless
steel for a food preparation surface as opposed to the lack of need for
stainless steel to be used for floors or for tables used for consumer dining;
or
2. The need for a different
degree of cleanability for a utilitarian attachment or accessory in the kitchen
as opposed to a decorative attachment or accessory in the consumer dining
area.
(31)
"Easily movable" means:
(a) Portable; mounted
on casters, gliders, or rollers; or provided with a mechanical means to safely
tilt a unit of equipment for cleaning; and
(b) Having no utility connection, a utility
connection that disconnects quickly, or a flexible utility connection line of
sufficient length to allow the equipment to be moved for cleaning of the
equipment and adjacent area.
(32) Egg.
(a) "Egg" means the shell egg of avian
species such as chicken, duck, goose, guinea, quail, ratites or
turkey.
(b) "Egg" does not include:
1. A balut;
2. The egg of reptile species such as
alligator; or
3. An egg
product.
(33)
Egg Product.
(a) "Egg Product" means all, or a
portion of, the contents found inside eggs separated from the shell and
pasteurized in a food processing plant , with or without added ingredients,
intended for human consumption, such as dried, frozen or liquid eggs.
(b) "Egg Product" does not include food that
contains eggs only in a relatively small proportion such as cake
mixes.
(34) "Employee"
means a person:
(a) In charge of a food
establishment;
(b) Engaged in the
preparation of food or drink;
(c)
Engaged in service of food to the establishment's clientele; or
(d) Engaged in warewashing.
(35) "Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli (EHEC)" means E. coli which cause hemorrhagic colitis, meaning
bleeding enterically or bleeding from the intestine. The term is typically used
in association with E. coli that have the capacity to produce Shiga toxins and
to cause attaching and effacing lesions in the intestine. EHEC is a subset of
STEC, whose members produce additional virulence factors. Infections with EHEC
may be asymptomatic but are classically associated with bloody diarrhea
(hemorrhagic colitis) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or thrombotic
thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Examples of serotypes of EHEC include: E. coli
O157:H7; E. coli O157:NM; E. coli O26:H11; E. coli O145:NM; E. coli O103:H2; or
E. coli O111:NM. Also see SHIGA TOXIN-PRODUCING E. COLI.
(36) "EPA" means the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
(37) Equipment.
(a) "Equipment" means an article that is used
in the operation of a 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, or ware washing
machine.
(b) "Equipment" does not
include apparatuses 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.
(38) "Exclude" means to prevent a
person from working as an employee in a food establishment or entering a food
establishment as an employee.
(39)
"FDA" means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
(40) Fish.
(a) "Fish" means fresh or saltwater finfish,
crustaceans and other forms of aquatic life (including alligator, frog, aquatic
turtle, jellyfish, sea cucumber, and sea urchin and the roe of such animals)
other than birds or mammals, and all mollusks, if such animal life is intended
for human consumption.
(b) "Fish"
includes an edible human food product derived in whole or in part from fish,
including fish that have been processed in any manner.
(41) "Food" means 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.
(42) "Foodborne disease outbreak" means the
occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from the
ingestion of a common food.
(43)
"Food-contact surface" means:
(a) A surface of
equipment or a utensil with which food normally comes into contact;
or
(b) A surface of equipment or a
utensil from which food may drain, drip, or splash:
1. Into a food, or
2. Onto a surface normally in contact with
food.
(44)
"Food employee" means an individual working with unpackaged food, food
equipment or utensils, or food-contact surfaces.
(45) Food Establishment.
(a) "Food establishments" means retail food
stores, and food service establishments located within retail food
stores;
(b) The term "food
establishments" is to be used throughout this chapter when a provision is
applicable to both retail food stores and food service establishments located
within retail food stores;
(46) "Food Service Establishment" means:
(a) Any establishment, place or location,
whether permanent, temporary, seasonal or itinerant, where food is prepared and
the public is offered to be served, or is served, food, including, but not
limited to, foods, vegetables, or beverages not in an original package or
container, food and beverages dispensed at soda fountains and delicatessens,
sliced watermelon, ice balls, or water mixtures.
(b) "Food service establishment" includes any
such places regardless of whether there is a charge for the food.
(c) "Food service establishment" does not
include private homes where food is prepared or served and not offered for
sale, retail food store operations other than delicatessens, the location of
vending machines, and supply vehicles.
(d) "Food service establishment" does not
include churches, temples, synagogues or other religious institutions, civic,
fraternal, or veteran's organizations where food is prepared, served,
transported, or stored by volunteer personnel only on non-consecutive days;
provided, however, that the storage of unopened, commercially canned food,
packaged bulk food that is not time/temperature control for safety food as
defined by department rules and regulations, and dry goods shall not apply for
these purposes;
(e)
"Food service establishment" does not include grocery stores that may,
incidentally, make infrequent casual sales of uncooked foods for consumption on
the premises, or any establishment whose primary business is other than food
service, that may , incidentally, make infrequent casual sales of coffee or
prepackaged foods, or both, for consumption on the premises. For the purposes
of this subparagraph, infrequent casual sales means sales not in excess of one
hundred fifty dollars ($150) per day on any particular day;
(f) "Food service establishment" does not
include a location from which casual, occasional food sales are conducted
solely in connection with youth-related amateur athletic or recreational
activities or primary or secondary school-related clubs by volunteer personnel
and that are in operation for twenty-four (24) consecutive hours or
less;
(g) "Food service
establishment" does not include a catering business that employs no regular,
full-time employees, the food preparation for such business is solely performed
within the confines of the principal residence of the proprietor, and the
catering business makes only "occasional sales" during any thirty-day period;
and
(h) "Food service
establishment" does not include a house or other residential structure where
seriously ill or injured children and their families are provided temporary
accommodations in proximity to their treatment hospitals and where food is
prepared, served, transported or stored by volunteer personnel; provided, that
the house or structure is supported by a § 501(c)(3) organization, as
defined in 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3), that has as a component of its mission
the support of programs that directly improve the health and well-being of
children.
(47) Food
Manufacturing Plant.
(a) "Food manufacturing
plant" means a commercial operation that manufactures, packages, labels, or
stores food for human consumption, and provides food for sale or distribution
to other business entities such as food processing plants or food
establishments.
(b) "Food
manufacturing plant" does not include a food establishment.
(48) Game Animal.
(a) "Game animal" means an animal, the
products of which are food, that is not classified as livestock, sheep, swine,
goat, horse, mule, or other equine in
9 CFR
301.2 Definitions, or as poultry, or
fish.
(b) "Game animal" includes
mammals such as reindeer, elk, deer, antelope, water buffalo, bison, rabbit,
squirrel, opossum, raccoon, nutria, or muskrat, and nonaquatic reptiles such as
land snakes.
(c) "Game animal" does
not include ratites.
(49) "General use pesticide" means a
pesticide that is not classified by EPA for restricted use as specified in
40 CFR
152.175 Pesticides classified for restricted
use.
(50) "Good repair" means
equipment and utensils shall be maintained in a state of repair and condition
that meets the requirements specified under 0080-04-09-.04.
(51) "Grade A standards" means the
requirements of the United States Public Health Service/FDA "Grade A
Pasteurized Milk Ordinance" with which certain fluid and dry milk and milk
products comply.
(52) "HACCP plan"
means a written document that delineates the formal procedures for following
the hazard analysis and critical control point principles developed by The
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.
(53) Handwashing Sink.
(a) "Handwashing sink" means a lavatory, a
basin or vessel for washing, a wash basin, or a plumbing fixture especially
placed for use in personal hygiene and designed for the washing of the
hands.
(b) "Handwashing sink"
includes an automatic handwashing facility.
(54) "Hazard" means a biological, chemical,
or physical property that may cause an unacceptable consumer health
risk.
(55) "Health practitioner"
means a physician licensed to practice medicine, or if allowed by law, a nurse
practitioner, or physician assistant.
(56) "Hermetically sealed container" means a
container that is designed and intended to be secure against the entry of
microorganisms and, in the case of low acid canned foods, to maintain the
commercial sterility of its contents after processing.
(57) "Highly susceptible population" means
persons who are more likely than other people in the general population to
experience foodborne disease because they are:
(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.
(58) "Imminent health hazard" means any
condition, deficiency, or practice that, if not corrected, is very likely to
result in illness, injury, or loss of life to any person.
(59) "Injected" means manipulating meat to
which a solution has been introduced into its interior by processes that are
referred to as "injecting," "pump marinating," or "stitch pumping."
(60) Juice.
(a) "Juice" means 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.
(b) "Juice"
does not include, for purposes of HACCP, liquids, purees, or concentrates that
are not used as beverages or ingredients of beverages.
(61) "Kitchenware" means food preparation and
storage utensils.
(62) "Law" means
applicable local, state, and federal statutes, regulations, and
ordinances.
(63) "Linens" means
fabric items such as cloth hampers, cloth napkins, table cloths, wiping cloths,
and work garments including cloth gloves.
(64) Major Food Allergen.
(a) "Major food allergen" means:
1. Milk, egg, fish (such as bass, flounder,
cod, and including crustacean shellfish such as crab, lobster, or shrimp), tree
nuts (such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts), wheat, peanuts, and soybeans;
or
2. A food ingredient that
contains protein derived from a food, as specified in part (a)1 of this
definition.
(b) "Major
food allergen" does not include:
1. Any highly
refined oil derived from a food specified in part (a)1 of this definition and
any ingredient derived from such highly refined oil; or
2. Any ingredient that is exempt under the
petition or notification process specified in the Food Allergen Labeling and
Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (
Public Law
108-282 ).
(65) "Meat" means the flesh of animals used
as food including the dressed flesh of cattle, swine, sheep, or goat, other
edible animals except fish, poultry, and wild game animals as specified under
0080-04-09-.03 (2)(a)7(i)(III), (IV).
(66) Mechanically Tenderized.
(a) "Mechanically tenderized" means
manipulating meat with deep penetration by processes which may be referred to
as "blade tenderizing," "jaccarding," "pinning," "needling," or using blades,
pins, needles or any mechanical device.
(b) "Mechanically tenderized" does not
include processes by which solutions are injected into meat.
(67) "mg/L" means milligrams per
liter, which is the metric equivalent of parts per million (ppm).
(68) "Mobile food unit" means a food
establishment designed to be readily moved and vend food.
(69) "Molluscan shellfish" means 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.
(70)
Non-Continuous Cooking.
(a) "Non-continuous
cooking" means the cooking of food in a food establishment using a process in
which the initial heating of the food is intentionally halted so that it may be
cooled and held for complete cooking at a later time prior to sale or
service.
(b) "Non-continuous
cooking" does not include cooking procedures that only involve temporarily
interrupting or slowing an otherwise continuous cooking process.
(71) Packaged.
(a) "Packaged" means bottled, canned,
cartoned, securely bagged, or securely wrapped, whether packaged in a food
establishment or a food processing plant.
(b) "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.
(72)
"Permit" means the document issued by the department that authorizes a person
to operate a food establishment.
(73) "Permit holder" means the entity that:
(a) Is legally responsible for the operation
of the food establishment such as the owner, the owner's agent, or other
person; and
(b) Possesses a valid
permit to operate a food establishment.
(74) "Person" means any individual,
partnership, firm, corporation, agency, municipality, state or political
subdivision, or the federal government and its agencies and
departments.
(75) "Person in
charge" means an individual present at a food establishment who is responsible
for the operation at the time of inspection. A person in charge shall be
present at the establishment during food preparation and handling, and may put
instructions in place for cleaning and preparing the establishment prior to the
preparation of any food or beverage.
(76) Personal Care Items.
(a) "Personal care items" means items or
substances that may be poisonous, toxic, or a source of contamination and are
used to maintain or enhance a person's health, hygiene, or
appearance.
(b) "Personal care
items" include items such as medicines; first aid supplies; and other items
such as cosmetics, and toiletries such as toothpaste and mouthwash.
(77) "pH" means the symbol for the
negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration, which is a measure of the
degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Values between 0 and 7 indicate
acidity and values between 7 and 14 indicate alkalinity. The value for pure
distilled water is 7, which is considered neutral.
(78) "Physical facilities" means the
structure and interior surfaces of a food establishment including accessories
such as soap and towel dispensers and attachments such as light fixtures and
heating or air conditioning system vents.
(79) "Plumbing fixture" means a receptacle or
device that:
(a) Is permanently or temporarily
connected to the water distribution system of the premises and demands a supply
of water from the system; or
(b)
Discharges used water, waste materials, or sewage directly or indirectly to the
drainage system of the premises.
(80) "Plumbing system" means the water supply
and distribution pipes; plumbing fixtures and traps; soil, waste, and vent
pipes; sanitary and storm sewers and building drains, including their
respective connections, devices, and appurtenances within the premises; and
water-treating equipment.
(81)
"Poisonous or toxic materials" means substances that are not intended for
ingestion and are included in four categories:
(a) Cleaners and sanitizers, which include
cleaning and sanitizing agents and agents such as caustics, acids, drying
agents, polishes, and other chemicals;
(b) Pesticides, except sanitizers, which
include substances such as insecticides and rodenticides;
(c) Substances necessary for the operation
and maintenance of the establishment such as nonfood grade lubricants and
personal care items that may be deleterious to health; and
(d) Substances that are not necessary for the
operation and maintenance of the establishment and are on the premises for
retail sale, such as petroleum products and paints.
(82) "Poultry" means:
(a) Any domesticated bird (chickens, turkeys,
ducks, geese, guineas, ratites, or squabs), whether live or dead, as defined in
9 CFR
381.1 Poultry Products Inspection Regulations
Definitions, Poultry, and
(b) Any
migratory waterfowl or game bird, pheasant, partridge, quail, grouse, or
pigeon, whether live or dead, as defined in
9 CFR
362.1 Voluntary Poultry Inspection
Regulations, Definitions.
(83) "Premises" means:
(a) The physical facility, its contents, and
the contiguous land or property under the control of the permit holder;
or
(b) The physical facility, its
contents, and the land or property not described in subparagraph (a) of this
definition if its facilities and contents are under the control of the permit
holder and may impact food establishment personnel, facilities, or operations,
and a food establishment is only one component of a larger operation such as a
health care facility, hotel, motel, school, recreational camp, or
prison.
(84) "Primal
cut" means a basic major cut into which carcasses and sides of meat are
separated, such as a beef round, pork loin, lamb flank, or veal
breast.
(85) Priority Item.
(a) "Priority item" means a provision in this
chapter whose application contributes directly to the elimination, prevention
or reduction to an acceptable level, hazards associated with foodborne illness
or injury and there is no other provision that more directly controls the
hazard.
(b) "Priority item"
includes items with a quantifiable measure to show control of hazards such as
cooking, reheating, cooling, handwashing; and
(c) "Priority item" is an item that is
denoted in this chapter with (P).
(86) Priority Foundation Item.
(a) "Priority foundation item" means a
provision in this chapter whose application supports, facilitates or enables
one or more priority items.
(b)
"Priority foundation item" includes an item that requires the purposeful
incorporation of specific actions, equipment or procedures by industry
management to attain control of risk factors that contribute to foodborne
illness or injury such as personnel training , infrastructure or necessary
equipment, HACCP plans, documentation or record keeping, and labeling;
and
(c) "Priority foundation item"
is an item that is denoted in this chapter with (Pf).
(87) "Public water system" has the meaning
stated in 40 CFR 141 National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.
(88) "Ratite" means a flightless bird such as
an emu, ostrich, or rhea.
(89)
"Ready-to-Eat Food" means food that:
(a) Is in
a form that is edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety, as
specified under one of the following 0080-04-09-.03(4)(a)1(i) or (ii),
0080-04-09-.03(4)(a)2, or 0080-04-09-.03(4)(b)1 or as specified in
0080-04-09-.03(4)(a)1(iii); or
(b)
Is a raw or partially cooked animal food and the consumer is advised as
specified in 0080-04-09-.03(4)(a)1(iv)(I) and (III); or
(c) Is prepared in accordance with a variance
that is granted as specified in 0080-04-09-.03(4)(a)1(iv)(IV); and
(d) May receive additional preparation for
palatability or aesthetic, epicurean, gastronomic, or culinary
purposes.
(e) "Ready-to-eat food"
includes:
1. Raw animal food that is cooked as
specified under 0080-04-09-.03(4)(a), or frozen as specified under
0080-04-09-.03(4)(b);
2. Raw fruits
and vegetables that are washed as specified under
0080-04-09-.03(3)(b)5;
3. Fruits
and vegetables that are cooked for hot holding, as specified under
0080-04-09-.03(4)(a)3;
4. All
time/temperature control for safety food that is cooked to the temperature and
time required for the specific food under 0080-04-09-.03(4) and cooled as
specified under 0080-04-09-.03(5)(a)4;
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. A
bakery item 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. Food manufactured as
specified in 21 CFR Part 113, Thermally Processed Low-Acid Foods Packaged in
Hermetically Sealed Containers.
(90) Reduced Oxygen Packaging.
(a) "Reduced oxygen packaging" means:
1. The reduction of the amount of oxygen in a
package by removing oxygen; displacing oxygen and replacing it with another gas
or combination of gases; or otherwise controlling the oxygen content to a level
below that normally found in the atmosphere (approximately 21% at sea level);
and
2. A process as specified in
part (a)(1) of this definition that involves a food for which the hazards
Clostridium botulinum or Listeria monocytogenes require control in the final
packaged form.
(b)
"Reduced oxygen packaging" includes:
1. Vacuum
packing, in which air is removed from a package of food and the package is
hermetically sealed so that a vacuum remains inside the package;
2. Modified atmosphere packaging, in which
the atmosphere of a package of food is modified so that its composition is
different from air but the atmosphere may change over time due to the
permeability of the packaging material or the respiration of the food. Modified
atmosphere packaging includes reduction in the proportion of oxygen, total
replacement of oxygen, or an increase in the proportion of other gases such as
carbon dioxide or nitrogen;
3.
Controlled atmosphere packaging, in which the atmosphere of a package of food
is modified so that until the package is opened, its composition is different
from air, and continuous control of that atmosphere is maintained, such as by
using oxygen scavengers or a combination of total replacement of oxygen,
nonrespiring food, and impermeable packaging material;
4. Cook chill packaging, in which cooked food
is hot filled into impermeable bags that have the air expelled and are then
sealed or crimped closed. The bagged food is rapidly chilled and refrigerated
at temperatures that inhibit the growth of psychrotrophic pathogens;
or
5. Sous vide packaging, in which
raw or partially cooked food is placed in a hermetically sealed, impermeable
bag, cooked in the bag, rapidly chilled, and refrigerated at temperatures that
inhibit the growth of psychrotrophic pathogens.
(91) "Refuse" means solid waste not carried
by water through the sewage system.
(92) "Reminder" means a written statement
concerning the health risk of consuming animal food raw, undercooked, or
without otherwise being processed to eliminate pathogens.
(93) "Re-service" means the transfer of food
that is unused and returned by a consumer after being served or sold and in the
possession of the consumer, to another person.
(94) "Restrict" means to limit the activities
of a food employee so that there is no risk of transmitting a disease that is
transmissible through food and the food employee does not work with exposed
food, clean equipment, utensils, linens, or unwrapped single-service or
single-use articles.
(95)
"Restricted egg" means any check, dirty egg, incubator reject, inedible,
leaker, or loss as defined in 9 CFR 590.
(96) "Restricted use pesticide" means a
pesticide product that contains the active ingredients specified in
40 CFR
152.175 Pesticides classified for restricted
use, and that is limited to use by or under the direct supervision of a
certified applicator.
(97) Retail
food store.
(a) "Retail food store" means any
establishment or a section of an establishment where food and food products are
offered to the consumer and intended for off-premise consumption;
(b) "Retail food store" does not include:
(i) Establishments that handle only
prepackaged, non-time/temperature control for safety food, as defined by
department rules and regulations;
(ii) Roadside markets that offer only fresh
fruits and fresh vegetables;
(iii)
Food and beverage vending machines;
(iv) Food service establishments not located
within a retail food store; or
(v)
A person who makes infrequent casual sales of honey or who packs or sells less
than one hundred fifty gallons (150 gals.) of honey per year.
(98) "Risk" means the
likelihood that an adverse health effect will occur within a population as a
result of a hazard in a food.
(99)
"Safe material" means:
(a) An article
manufactured from or composed of materials that may not reasonably be expected
to result, directly or indirectly, in their becoming a component or otherwise
affecting the characteristics of any food;
(b) An additive that is used as specified in
§ 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; or
(c) Other materials that are not additives
and that are used in conformity with applicable regulations of the Food and
Drug Administration.
(100) "Sanitization" means the application of
cumulative heat or chemicals on cleaned food-contact surfaces that, when
evaluated for efficacy, is sufficient to yield a reduction of 5 logs, which is
equal to a 99.999% reduction, of representative disease microorganisms of
public health importance.
(101)
"Sealed" means free of cracks or other openings that allow the entry or passage
of moisture.
(102) "Service animal"
means an animal such as a guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually
trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.
(103) "Servicing area" means an operating
base location to which a mobile food establishment or transportation vehicle
returns regularly for such things as vehicle and equipment cleaning,
discharging liquid or solid wastes, refilling water tanks and ice bins, and
boarding food.
(104) "Sewage" means
liquid waste containing animal or vegetable matter in suspension or solution
and may include liquids containing chemicals in solution.
(105) "Shellfish control authority" means a
state, federal, foreign, tribal, or other government entity legally responsible
for administering a program that includes certification of molluscan shellfish
harvesters and dealers for interstate commerce.
(106) "Shellstock" means raw, in-shell
molluscan shellfish.
(107) "Shiga
toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)" means any E. coli capable of producing
Shiga toxins (also called verocytotoxins or "Shiga-like" toxins). Examples of
serotypes of STEC include both O157 and non-O157 E. coli. Also see
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia Coli.
(108) "Shucked shellfish" means molluscan
shellfish that have one or both shells removed.
(109) "Single-service articles" means
tableware, carry-out utensils, and other items such as bags, containers,
placemats, stirrers, straws, toothpicks, and wrappers that are designed and
constructed for one time, one person use after which they are intended for
discard.
(110) Single-Use Articles.
(a) "Single-use articles" means utensils and
bulk food containers designed and constructed to be used once and
discarded.
(b) "Single-use
articles" includes items such as wax paper, butcher paper, plastic wrap, formed
aluminum food containers, jars, plastic tubs or buckets, bread wrappers, pickle
barrels, ketchup bottles, and number 10 cans which do not meet the materials,
durability, strength, and cleanability specifications under
0080-04-09-.04-(1)(a), (2)(a), (b) for multiuse utensils.
(111) "Slacking" means the process of
moderating the temperature of a food such as allowing a food to gradually
increase from a temperature of -23°C (-10°F) to -4°C (25°F) in
preparation for deep-fat frying or to facilitate even heat penetration during
the cooking of previously block-frozen food such as shrimp.
(112) "Smooth" means:
(a) A food-contact surface having a surface
free of pits and inclusions with a cleanability equal to or exceeding that of
(100 grit) number 3 stainless steel;
(b) A nonfood-contact surface of equipment
having a surface equal to that of commercial grade hot-rolled steel free of
visible scale; and
(c) A floor,
wall, or ceiling having an even or level surface with no roughness or
projections that render it difficult to clean.
(113) "Tableware" means eating, drinking, and
serving utensils for table use such as flatware including forks, knives, and
spoons; hollowware including bowls, cups, serving dishes, and tumblers; and
plates.
(114) "Temperature
measuring device" means a thermometer, thermocouple, thermistor, or other
device that indicates the temperature of food, air, or water.
(115) "Temporary food establishment" means a
food establishment that operates at a fixed location in conjunction with an
organized temporary event for more than one (1) day and not more than fourteen
(14) consecutive days.
(116)
Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food.
(a)
"Time/temperature control for safety food" means a food that requires
time/temperature control for safety (TCS) to limit pathogenic microorganism
growth or toxin formation.
(b)
"Time/temperature control for safety food" includes:
1. An animal food that is raw or
heat-treated; a plant food that is heat-treated or consists of raw seed
sprouts, cut melons, cut leafy greens, cut tomatoes or mixtures of cut tomatoes
that are not modified in a way so that they are unable to support pathogenic
microorganism growth or toxin formation, or garlic-in-oil mixtures that are not
modified in a way so that they are unable to support pathogenic microorganism
growth or toxin formation; and
2.
Except as specified in subpart 3(iv) of this definition, a food that because of
the interaction of its AW and pH values is designated as
Product Assessment Required (PA) in Table A or B of this definition:
|
Table A. Interaction of pH and
aWfor control of spores in food heat-treated to destroy
vegetative cells and subsequently packaged
|
|
AWvalues
|
pH values
|
|
4.6 or less
|
> 4.6 - 5.6
|
> 5.6
|
|
<=0.92
|
non-TCS Food*
|
non-TCS Food
|
non-TCS Food
|
|
>0.92 - .95
|
non-TCS Food
|
non-TCS Food
|
PA**
|
|
>0.95
|
non-TCS FOOD
|
PA
|
PA
|
|
* TCS food means Time/Temperature Control for
Safety food
** PA means Product Assessment required
|
|
Table B. Interaction of pH and
aWfor control of vegetative cells and spores in food not
heat-treated or heat-treated but not packaged
|
|
AWvalues
|
pH values
|
|
< 4.2
|
4.2 - 4.6
|
> 4.6 - 5.0
|
> 5.0
|
|
< 0.88
|
non-TCS food*
|
non-TCS food
|
non-TCS food
|
non-TCS food
|
|
0.88 - 0.90
|
non-TCS food
|
non-TCS food
|
non-TCS food
|
PA**
|
|
> 0.90 - 0.92
|
non-TCS food
|
non-TCS food
|
PA
|
PA
|
|
> 0.92
|
non-TCS food
|
PA
|
PA
|
PA
|
|
* TCS food means Time/Temperature Control for
Safety food
** PA means Product Assessment required
|
3.
"Time/temperature control for safety food" does not include:
(i) An air-cooled hard-boiled egg with shell
intact, or an egg with shell intact that is not hard boiled, but has been
pasteurized to destroy all viable salmonellae;
(ii) A food in an unopened hermetically sealed container that is
commercially processed to achieve and maintain commercial sterility under
conditions of non-refrigerated storage and distribution;
(iii) A food that because of its pH or
AW value, or interaction of AW
and pH values, is designated as a non-TCS food in Table A or B of this
definition;
(iv) A food that is
designated as Product Assessment Required (PA) in Table A or B of this
definition and has undergone a Product Assessment showing that the growth or
toxin formation of pathogenic microorganisms that are reasonably likely to
occur in that food is precluded due to:
(I)
Intrinsic factors including added or natural characteristics of the food such
as preservatives, antimicrobials, humectants, acidulants, or nutrients,
(II) Extrinsic factors including
environmental or operational factors that affect the food such as packaging,
modified atmosphere such as reduced oxygen packaging, shelf life and use, or
temperature range of storage and use, or
(III) A combination of intrinsic and
extrinsic factors; or
(v) A food that does not support the growth
or toxin formation of pathogenic microorganisms in accordance with one of the
subparts 3(i) - 3(iv) of this definition even though the food may contain a
pathogenic microorganism or chemical or physical contaminant at a level
sufficient to cause illness or injury.
(117) "USDA" means the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
(118)
"Utensil" means 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; temperature sensing probes of food
temperature measuring devices; and probe-type price or identification tags used
in contact with food.
(119)
"Variance" means a written document issued by the commissioner that authorizes
a modification or waiver of one or more requirements of this chapter if, in the
opinion of the commissioner, a health hazard or nuisance will not result from
the modification or waiver.
(120)
"Warewashing" means the cleaning and sanitizing of utensils sanitizing of
utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment.
(121) "Whole-muscle, intact beef" means whole
muscle beef that is not injected, mechanically tenderized, reconstructed, or
scored and marinated, from which beef steaks may be cut.
Authority: T.C.A.. §
53-8-204.
