Chapter 1. General Provisions of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 104. >> Part 7. >> Chapter 1.

These provisions shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Retail Food Code, hereafter referred to as "this part."

The purpose of this part is to safeguard public health and provide to consumers food that is safe, unadulterated, and honestly presented through adoption of science-based standards.

The Legislature finds and declares that the public health interest requires that there be uniform statewide health and sanitation standards for retail food facilities to assure the people of this state that the food will be pure, safe, and unadulterated. Except as provided in Section 113709, it is the intent of the Legislature to occupy the whole field of health and sanitation standards for retail food facilities, and the standards set forth in this part and regulations adopted pursuant to this part shall be exclusive of all local health and sanitation standards relating to retail food facilities.

The department shall adopt regulations to implement and administer this part.

This part does not prohibit a local governing body from adopting an evaluation or grading system for food facilities, from prohibiting any type of food facility, from adopting an employee health certification program, from regulating the provision of consumer toilet and handwashing facilities, from adopting requirements for the public safety regulating the type of vending and the time, place, and manner of vending from vehicles upon a street pursuant to its authority under subdivision (b) of Section 22455 of the Vehicle Code, or from prohibiting the presence of pet dogs in outdoor dining areas of food facilities.

In all laws and regulations, references to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 113700) or the California Uniform Retail Food Facilities Law, shall mean this part or the California Retail Food Code.

(a) Primary responsibility for enforcement of this part shall be with the local enforcement agency. Nothing in this part shall prevent the department from taking any necessary program or enforcement actions for the protection of the public health and safety.
  (b) The department shall provide technical assistance, training, standardization, program evaluation, and other services to local health agencies as necessary to ensure the uniform interpretation and application of this part, when an appropriation is made to the department for this purpose.
  (c) Whenever the enforcement of the requirements of this part by any local enforcement agency is satisfactory to the department, the enforcement of this part shall not be duplicated by the department. The department shall investigate to determine satisfactory enforcement of this part by evaluating the program of each local enforcement agency at least once every three years and shall prepare a report of the evaluation and list any program improvements needed only when an appropriation is made to the department for these purposes.

Any construction, alteration, remodeling, or operation of a food facility shall be approved by the enforcement agency and shall be in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal statutes, regulations, and ordinances, including but not limited to, fire, building, and zoning codes.

(a) Any person requesting the department to undertake any activity pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) of Section 113871, Section 114417, paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 114419, and Section 114419.3 shall pay the department's costs incurred in undertaking the activity. The department's services shall be assessed at the current hourly cost-recovery rate, and it shall be entitled to recover any other costs reasonably and actually incurred in performing those activities, including, but not limited to, the costs of additional inspection and laboratory testing. For purposes of this section, the department's hourly rate shall be adjusted annually in accordance with Section 100425.
  (b) The department shall provide to the person paying the required fee a statement, invoice, or similar document that describes in reasonable detail the costs paid.
  (c) For purposes of this section only, the term "person" does not include any city, county, city and county, or other political subdivision of the state or local government.

Notwithstanding Section 16350 of the Government Code, all moneys deposited in the Retail Food Safety and Defense Fund shall be transferred to the Food Safety Fund for appropriation and expenditure as specified by Section 110050.

Structural and sanitation requirements shall be based on the food service activity to be conducted, the type of food that is to be prepared or served, and the extent of food preparation that is to be conducted at the food facility.

(a) The enforcement agency shall utilize a standardized food facility inspection format for food facility inspections that includes all of the following:
  (1) The name and address of the food facility.
  (2) Identification of the following inspection criteria, which shall be the basis of the inspection report:
  (A) Improper holding temperatures of potentially hazardous foods.
  (B) Improper cooling of potentially hazardous foods.
  (C) Inadequate cooking of potentially hazardous foods.
  (D) Poor personal hygiene of food employees.
  (E) Contaminated equipment.
  (F) Food from unapproved sources.
  (3) For each violation identified pursuant to paragraph (2), classification of the violation as a minor violation or major violation.
  (b) An enforcement agency may modify the format to add criteria to those specified pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), if both of the following conditions are met:
  (1) The additional criteria are based on other provisions of this part.
  (2) A violation is identified by reference to items and sections of this part, or the regulations adopted pursuant to this part relating to those items, if a food facility is cited for a violation of the additional criteria.
  (c) This section shall not restrict the ability of the enforcement agency to inspect and report on criteria other than those subject to regulation under this part.

A copy of the most recent routine inspection report conducted to assess compliance with this part shall be maintained at the food facility and made available upon request. The food facility shall post a notice advising consumers that a copy of the most recent routine inspection report is available for review by any interested party.

Local enforcement agencies, and the department when adequate funding is made available to the department, shall conduct routine training on food facility inspection standardization to promote the uniform application of inspection procedures.

(a) The department shall publish standardized procedures for enforcement agencies to report food facility inspection information regarding each food facility. The report shall include all of the following:
  (1) Name and address of the food facility.
  (2) Date of last inspection.
  (3) Identification of any major violation identified in a food facility inspection.
  (4) Reinspection date, if applicable.
  (5) Period of closure, if applicable.
  (b) The department, in consultation with local environmental health directors, representatives of the retail food industry, and other interested parties, may periodically review and revise the standardized procedures established pursuant to subdivision (a). In making any revisions, the department shall strive to ensure that the required information can be reported and made available in the most efficient, timely, and cost-effective manner.
  (c) (1) The standardized procedures established pursuant to this section shall include a standardized electronic format and protocol for reporting the food facility inspection data in a timely manner, and shall strive to ensure that the information is readily accessible, can be rapidly reported, and, if necessary, corrected, for each food facility that has been inspected or reinspected. If the enforcement agency determines that reported information is materially in error, that error shall be corrected within 48 hours after that determination.
  (2) The department may establish standardized procedures for reporting the information on electronic media, including, but not limited to, floppy disks or compact disks.
  (d) Within 60 days after the department has established the standardized procedures pursuant to this section, the department shall publish these procedures.
  (e) (1) Each enforcement agency that reports food facility inspection information on an Internet Web site shall report the information in accordance with the standardized procedures established pursuant to this section.
  (2) This section shall not restrict the ability of an enforcement agency to report on matters other than matters subject to regulation under this part.
  (f) The department may establish a link to each Internet Web site utilized by any enforcement agency containing the food facility inspection information pursuant to subdivision (e).