AB 2130, as amended, Pan. Retail food safety.
Under existing law, the California Retail Food Code, the State Department of Public Health establishes uniform health and sanitation standards for retail food facilities and local health agencies are required to enforce these provisions. A person who violates any provision of the code is guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law requires food employees to wash their hands in accordance with specified provisions and prohibits food employees from contacting exposed, ready-to-eat food with their bare hands, except under certain conditions, including when washing fruits and vegetables and when not serving a highly susceptible population, as specified.
This bill would instead require that food employees minimize bare hand and arm contact with nonprepackaged food that is in a ready-to-eat form. The bill would require food employees to use utensils, as specified, to assemble ready-to-eat food or to place ready-to-eat food on tableware or in other containers. The bill would authorize food employees to assemble or place on tableware or in other containers ready-to-eat food in an approved food preparation area without using utensils if hands are cleaned in accordance with specified provisions. The bill would require that food that has been served to the consumer and then wrapped or prepackaged at the direction of the consumer be handled only with utensils. The bill would require these utensils to be properly sanitized before reuse. By revising the standards that are required to be enforced by local health agencies and changing the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 113961 of the Health and Safety Code
2 is repealed.
Section 113961 is added to the Health and Safety Code,
4to read:
(a) Food employees shall minimize bare hand and
6arm contact with nonprepackaged food that is in a ready-to-eat
7form.
8(b) Food employees shall use utensils, including scoops, forks,
9tongs, paper wrappers, gloves, or other implements, to assemble
10ready-to-eat food or to place ready-to-eat food on tableware or in
11other containers. However, food employees may assemble or place
12on tableware or in other containers ready-to-eat food in an approved
P3 1food preparation area without using utensils if hands are cleaned
2in accordance with Section 113953.3.
3(c) Food that has been served to the consumer and then wrapped
4
or prepackaged at the direction of the consumer shall be handled
5only with utensils. These utensils shall be properly sanitized before
6reuse.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
8Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution for certain
9costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district
10because, in that regard, this act creates a new crime or infraction,
11eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime
12or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
13Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
14meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
15Constitution.
16However, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that
17this act contains other costs
mandated by the state, reimbursement
18to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
19pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
204 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
22immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
23the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
24immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
25In order to protect public health and safety by developing better
26food safety procedures for ready-to-eat food and by avoiding
27confusion among local health agencies and small businesses at the
28earliestbegin delete possible time,end deletebegin insert time possible,end insert it is necessary that
this act
29take effect immediately.
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