Section 113871 Of Chapter 2. Definitions From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 104. >> Part 7. >> Chapter 2.
113871
. (a) "Potentially hazardous food" means a food that requires
time or temperature control to limit pathogenic micro-organism
growth or toxin formation.
(b) "Potentially hazardous food" includes a food of animal origin
that is raw or heat-treated, a food of plant origin that is
heat-treated or consists of raw seed sprouts, cut melons, cut
tomatoes or mixtures of cut tomatoes that are not modified to render
them unable to support pathogenic micro-organism growth or toxin
formation, and garlic-in-oil mixtures that are not acidified or
otherwise modified at a food processing plant in a way that results
in mixtures that do not support growth or toxin formation as
specified under subdivision (a).
(c) "Potentially hazardous food" does not include any of the
following:
(1) A food with an aw value of 0.85 or less.
(2) A food with a pH level of 4.6 or below when measured at 75 F.
(3) 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.
(4) A food in an unopened, hermetically sealed container that is
commercially processed to achieve and maintain commercial sterility
under conditions of nonrefrigerated storage and distribution.
(5) A food that has been shown by appropriate microbial challenge
studies approved by the enforcement agency not to support the rapid
and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic micro-organisms
that may cause food infections or food intoxications, or the growth
and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum, such as a food that
has an aw and a pH that are above the levels specified under
paragraphs (1) and (2) and that may contain a preservative, other
barrier to the growth of micro-organisms, or a combination of
barriers that inhibit the growth of micro-organisms.
(6) A food that does not support the rapid and progressive growth
of infectious or toxigenic micro-organisms, even though the food may
contain an infectious or toxigenic micro-organism or chemical or
physical contaminant at a level sufficient to cause illness.