Section 760.170  General - Food Preparation

In an effort to prevent the transmission of pathogenic organisms from humans, food shall be prepared with the least possible manual contact, with suitable utensils and surfaces that prior to use have been cleaned, rinsed and sanitized to prevent cross-contamination.

a)         Food employees shall avoid direct contact (i.e., using bare hands) with ready-to-eat food whenever possible and, to the extent possible, shall handle ready-to-eat food only with suitable utensils such as deli tissue, spatulas, tongs, or single-use gloves.  Handling of ready-to-eat food with suitable utensils is not a substitute for proper hand washing.  Use of utensils, including deli tissue, spatulas, tongs or single-use gloves, shall be preceded by thorough handwashing.

b)         If gloves are used to handle ready-to-eat food, they shall be single-use gloves, i.e., shall be used for only one task (preparing/handling ready-to-eat food), shall be used for no other purpose and shall be discarded when damaged or soiled or when interruptions occur in operations.

c)         At least annually, each food service establishment shall review its operations to identify and document any procedures where ready-to-eat food must be routinely handled with bare hands.  This annual review shall include the following components:

1)         Those routine procedure/work stations that necessitate direct hand contact with ready-to-eat food shall be identified and listed. This list shall be made available, upon request, to the Department or any local health department responsible for licensing/permitting the establishment.

2)         Available alternatives to unprotected direct hand contact; e.g., use of suitable utensils, FDA-approved sanitizing hand rinses, etc., shall be considered.  If an alternative (e.g., use of a suitable utensil) can be implemented, this procedure/work station shall be removed from the list of routine direct hand contact points.

3)         Special focused education and training shall be provided to all food employees involved in the identified procedures, reinforcing the importance of proper hand washing for all employees with direct hand contact with ready-to-eat food.  The content and duration of this focused education and training shall be determined by the food service operator.

d)         Each time there is a change in processing between raw beef, raw pork, raw poultry or raw seafood, or a change in processing from raw to ready-to-eat foods, each new operation shall begin with food-contact surfaces and utensils which are clean and have been sanitized. Salads and other ready-to-eat foods should be prepared in separate rooms or in areas that are separated by a barrier or open space from areas used for processing potentially hazardous raw products.

e)         Potentially hazardous foods that are in a form to be consumed without further cooking such as salads, sandwiches, and filled pastry products should be prepared from chilled products.

(Source:  Amended at 20 Ill. Reg. 2201, effective January 20, 1996)