(1) Except as specified under subsection (3) of this section, if time without temperature control is used as the public health control for a working supply of time/temperature control for safety food before cooking, or for ready-to-eat time/temperature control for safety food that is displayed or held for sale or service for immediate consumption:
(a) Written procedures must be prepared in advance, maintained in the establishment and made available to the regulatory authority upon request that specify:
(i) Methods of compliance with subsections (2)(a) through (c) of this section; and
(ii) Methods of compliance with WAC
246-215-03515 for
food that is prepared, cooked, and refrigerated before time is used as a public health control.
(2) If time without temperature control is used as the public health control up to a maximum of four hours:
(a) The food must have an internal temperature of 41°F (5°C) or less when removed from cold holding temperature control, or 135°F (57°C) or greater when removed from hot holding temperature control;
(b) The food may have an initial temperature of 70°F (21°C) or less if;
(i) It is a ready-to-eat fruit or vegetable that upon cutting is rendered a time/temperature control for safety food; or
(ii) It is a ready-to-eat hermetically sealed food that upon opening is rendered a time/temperature control for safety food;
(iii) The food temperature does not exceed 70°F (21°C) within a maximum time period of four hours from the time it was rendered a time/temperature control for safety food; and
(iv) The food is marked or otherwise identified to indicate the time that is four hours past the point in time when the food is rendered a time/temperature control for safety food.
(c) The food must be marked or otherwise identified to indicate the time that is four hours past the point in time when the food is removed from temperature control;
(d) The food must be cooked and served, served at any temperature if ready-to-eat or discarded, within four hours from the point in time when the food is removed from temperature control; and
(e) The food in unmarked containers or packages, or marked to exceed a four-hour limit, must be discarded.
(3) A food establishment that serves a highly susceptible population may not use time as specified under subsections (1) and (2) of this section as the public health control for raw eggs.
[Statutory Authority: RCW
43.20.050 and
43.20.145. WSR 21-01-122, § 246-215-03530, filed 12/15/20, effective 3/1/22; WSR 13-03-109, § 246-215-03530, filed 1/17/13, effective 5/1/13.]