Food Service Program
Guidelines for Food Safety and Good Sanitation Practices
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2005 Food Code, ensuring safe food is an important public health priority for our nation. An estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths are attributable to Foodborne illness in the United States each year.
The goal of the Clayton County Health Department is to protect the public's health by preventing food-borne illness, by assuring that foods served to the public are wholesome and free from contamination or spoilage.
Keep your menu simple and keep potentially hazardous foods (meats, eggs, dairy products, cut fruits and vegetables, etc.) to a minimum.
- Your operation is not permitted under Chapter 290-5-14 of the Food Service Rules and Regulations of DHR or the Rules and Regulations of the Clayton County Board of Health.
- In instances where it is determined that a food service permit is required, the Rules and Regulations shall be enforced.
- In the event that a food-borne illness occurs, the Board of Health is charged with investigating and conducting epidemiological activities which would focus on the following areas:
- Maintain Proper Temperature for food items:
- Cooling and cold holding for refrigerated food should be held at
or below 41º F. - Hot holding for cooked foods must be a minimum temperature of 135º F.
- Reheating leftovers must be achieved at a minimum temperature of 165º F.
- Cooling and cold holding for refrigerated food should be held at
- Preparing food too far ahead of service: Food prepared 12 or more hours before service increases risk of temperature abuse.
- Foods and food products must come from approved sources-not prepared at home or in unlicensed locations.
Poor personal hygiene and infected personnel:
Personal cleanliness and hand washing is very pertinent when handling food. Ensure that the facility has a properly working hand sink with soap and single-use paper towels. Other hand washing methods may be approved by the health authority for temporary operations.
Wash your hands frequently, especially before you begin work and after performing any of these activities: using the toilet, handling raw food, coughing or sneezing, smoking, handling soiled items and disposing garbage.
- Serving raw foods and ingredients: Ensure that raw products are fresh and wholesome. Otherwise should not be served because they may cause food-borne disease. It is always safer to use pasteurized products.
- Food Protection: Be careful to protect food products at all times from contamination by keeping them covered or packaged above ground or off the floor. Eliminate unnecessary food handling and protect all foods from physical contamination such as sneezing, coughing, touching dirty surfaces or containers.
- Water Supply: When food is prepared on the site, a system capable of producing enough hot water for frequent hand washing and cleaning and sanitizing utensils and equipment shall be provided on premises. Only potable water should be used either from a municipal source, a regulated community well, a private well that has been tested to ensure it is free from contamination, or from sealed containers approved by a bottling manufacturer meeting state/federal guidelines.
- Sewage: All sewage, including liquid waste, should be properly disposed of by a public sewage system or by a sewage disposal system constructed and operated according to local plumbing codes.
- Garbage and Refuse: Must be kept in durable, easily cleanable, insect and rodent-proof containers that do not leak and do not absorb liquids.
- Transportation: If food needs to be transported from one location to another, keep it well covered and provide adequate temperature controls.
- Maintain Proper Temperature for food items:
Clayton County Board of Health
Environmental Health
1117 Battlecreek Road, Jonesboro, GA 30236
Phone: (678) 610-7199
Fax: (770) 603-4874