Health and Safety Requirements

The health and safety of individuals working or participating in the Senior Nutrition Program is very important to the County. Contractors should follow the guidelines and/or procedures listed below.

California Retail Food Code (CalCode)
1. The Senior Nutrition Program reinforces the requirements documented in the CalCode which is part of the California Health and Safety Code. CalCode is modeled after the FDA "food code" which is based on the most current scientific knowledge of safe retail food handling practices.
2. Current CalCode Manual can be downloaded here.
Compliance with Health and Safety Regulations
1. Nutrition service contracting agencies shall comply with all state and local fire, health, sanitation, and safety regulations applicable to food service operations.
2. Contractor shall comply with all County requirements relating to COVID-19 for persons who routinely perform services for the Senior Nutrition Program including but not limited to vaccination, as applicable.
3. The Senior Nutrition Program reinforces the requirements documented in the CalCode which is part of the California Health and Safety Code. CalCode is modeled after the FDA "food code" which is based on the most current scientific knowledge of safe retail food handling practices.
4. Each site shall designate a person in charge (PIC) and shall ensure that PIC is on-site during all hours of meal operation. (CalCode, Section 113945)
5. The PIC shall have adequate knowledge of, and shall be properly trained in, food safety as it relates to their assigned duties.
6. Each nutrition site must employ at least one person who is certified in food safety. Certification must be renewed every five years thereafter, passing an approved examination. Sites that lose their certified employees will have 60 days to comply with the certification requirement. (CalCode, Section 113947.1a-i)
7. The employee who has a Food Safety Certificate shall instruct all food employees regarding the relationship between personal hygiene and food safety, including the association of hand contact, personal habits and behaviors, and food employee health to foodborne illness. (CalCode, Section 113949.2)
8. A Food Handler Card is not required for an elderly nutrition program administered by the California Department of Aging pursuant to the Older Americans Act of 1965. (CalCode, Section 113948(d12)
9. Fire and earthquake drills must be performed annually at each site with the participants. A report for EACH drill must be submitted to the SNP. (Form: Fire Earthquake Drill Form)
Health and Safety Inspections
1. Inspections by local fire officials (fire permit, fire extinguisher) and health officials shall be secured for all sites prior to the beginning of service and annually thereafter or as local policy requires. A current Fire Permit must be posted in the dining room, kitchen, and/or central reception area at each site.
2. Each food facility site shall post a notice advising consumers that a copy of the most recent routine inspection report is available for review by any interested party. The most recent Environmental Health Inspection Report shall be readily available and/or posted on-site. The inspection report shall be filed with the Site Manager on the premise. (CalCode, Section 113725.1)
3. Environmental Health inspection criteria: (CalCode, Section 113725)
  1. Improper holding temperatures of potentially hazardous foods.
  2. Improper cooling of potentially hazardous foods.
  3. Inadequate cooking of potentially hazardous food.
  4. Poor personal hygiene of nutrition employees.
  5. Contaminated equipment.
  6. Food from unapproved sources.
4. A valid Environmental Health Permit shall be posted in a conspicuous place at each site. (CalCode, Section 114381e)
5. Photocopies of all inspection reports, permits or certificates shall be forwarded to the County Senior Nutrition Program within a week of receipt.
Food Service Health Standards
1. Handwashing (CalCode, Chapter 3, Article 4)
  1. Handwashing facilities shall be provided within or adjacent to toilet rooms.
  2. Hand-washing facilities shall be equipped to provide warm water under pressure for a minimum of 15 seconds through a mixing valve or combination faucet. If the temperature of water provided to the handwashing sink is not readily adjustable at the faucet, the temperature of the water shall be at least 100˚F, but not greater than 108˚F. (CalCode, Section 113953c)
  3. A permanently installed detergent or soap dispenser and single-use paper towels or heated-air hand drying device shall be provided at or adjacent to all handwashing facilities. (CalCode, Section 113953.2)
  4. Handwashing signs must be visibly posted in the kitchen and restrooms.
  5. Food employees and site volunteers are required to thoroughly wash their hands and that portion, if any, of their arms exposed to direct food contact with cleanser and warm water by vigorously rubbing together the surfaces of their lathered hands and arms for at least 10 to 15 seconds and thoroughly rinsing with clean running water followed by drying of cleaned hands prior to beginning work, after using the toilet, and every time hands are soiled. (CalCode, Section 113953.3)
2. If hot water is not available for handwashing, congregate meal sites must do the following:
  1. Create a handwashing station that shall consist of five gallons of warm potable water including liquid hand soap dispenser, paper towels, and a catch bucket or tub for wastewater. (CalCode, Section 114217)
  2. If water is not available during meal preparation and service, congregate meal site should cancel all meals and notify Senior Nutrition Program.
  3. Use the Emergency Procedure for Handwashing as guidance.
3. Personal Cleanliness (CalCode, Chapter 3, Article 5)
  1. All employees and volunteers preparing, serving, or handling food or utensils shall wear hair restraints such as hats, hair coverings, or nets which are designed and worn to effectively keep hair from contacting non-prepackaged food, clean equipment, utensils, linens, and unwrapped single-use articles. (CalCode, Section 113969a) Per SNP, this is optional for staff/volunteers providing table service in the dining room.
  2. Food employees shall wear clean outer clothing to prevent contamination of food, equipment, utensils, linens, and unwrapped single-use articles per CalCode, Section 113971. Closed–toed and heels sturdy footwear shall be worn by kitchen staff and SNP volunteers working in the kitchen.
4. Bare Hand Contacts and Glove Use
  1. Food employees and volunteers shall minimize bare hand and arm contact with non-prepackaged food that is in a ready-to-eat form. (CalCode, Section 113961a)
  2. Food employees and volunteers shall use utensils, including scoops, forks, tongs, paper wrappers, gloves, or other implements, to assemble ready-to-eat food on tableware or in other containers. However, ready-to-eat food may be assembled or placed on tableware or in other containers in an approved food preparation area without using utensils if hands are cleaned. (CalCode, Section 113961b)
  3. Single-use gloves shall be worn when contacting food and food-contact surfaces if the employee has any cuts, sores, rashes, artificial nails, nail polish, rings (other than a plain ring, such as a wedding band), uncleanable orthopedic support devices, or fingernails that are not clean, smooth, or neatly trimmed. (CalCode, Section 113973a)
  4. Whenever gloves are worn, they shall be changed, replaced, or washed as often as handwashing is required. Single-use gloves shall not be washed. (CalCode, Section 113973b)
  5. Single use gloves shall be used only for one task, such as working with ready to eat food or with raw food of animal origin. It should not be used for any other purpose, and shall be discarded when damaged or soiled, or when interruptions in the food handling occur. (CalCode, Section 113973c)
5. Employee Health
  1. To reduce the likelihood of foodborne disease transmission, any food employee who is suffering from symptoms associated with an acute gastrointestinal illness or known to be infected with a communicable disease that is transmissible through food, shall be prevented from engaging in the handling of food until the food employee is determined to be free from that illness or disease, or incapable of transmitting the illness or disease through food. (CalCode, Section 113949)
  2. A local health officer must be notified of an illness that can be transmitted by food in a food facility or by a food employee of a food facility. (CalCode section, 113949.1a)
    The Environmental Health Permit holder (or food safety certificate holder) shall instruct all food employees regarding the relationship between personal hygiene and food safety, including the association of hand contact, personal habits and behaviors, and of employee health to foodborne illness. (CalCode, Section 113949.2)
  3. Food employees experiencing, while at work in a food facility, persistent sneezing, coughing, or runny nose that is associated with discharges from the eyes, nose, or mouth, and that cannot be controlled by medication, shall not work with exposed food; clean equipment, utensils, or linens or unwrapped single-use utensils. (CalCode, Section 113974)
6. Tobacco Use
  1. All food handlers and servers are prohibited from using tobacco in any form while preparing, handling, or serving food or beverages.
  2. Tobacco shall not be used in any form in any space used primarily for the preparation, service, or storage of food, or in the dishwashing area.
  3. Sites shall post and maintain “No Smoking” signs in appropriate places.
Protection from Contamination
1. No employee shall commit any act that may cause the contamination or adulteration of food, food-contact surfaces, or utensils. (CalCode, Section 113967)
2. Food shall be protected from cross-contamination. (CalCode, Section 113986a)
3. Food shall be prepared with suitable utensils and on surfaces, prior to use, that have been cleaned, rinsed, and sanitized to prevent cross-contamination. (CalCode, Section 113984d)
4. Separate raw food of animal origin during transportation, storage, preparation, holding, and display from ready-to-eat food such as produce, and cooked ready-to-eat food. (CalCode, Section 113986a.1)
5. Produce shall be thoroughly washed in potable water to remove soil and other contaminants before being cut, combined with other ingredients, cooked, served, or offered for consumption in ready-to-eat form. (CalCode, Section 113992a)

Food Handler’s Guide to Personal Hygiene

Most people carry harmful bacteria on their bodies and can unwittingly transport them to food. Touching one’s mouth, nose, hair, or even clothing can spread bacteria and cause contamination. Therefore, as a food handler, it is important to practice good personal hygiene to ensure a safe working environment and prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses.

Wear clean clothes and apron.
Wear a hair restraint such as a hairnet or cap.
Keep your fingernails short and clean. Keep fingers away from mouth, nose, and hair.
Cover coughs or sneezes with a handkerchief or tissue.
Do not work or volunteer if you are sick with:
1. diarrhea, cold, flu, or other respiratory infections
2. boils, infected hand, wound, or have a skin infection
Do not change, hang your clothes, or store personal belongings near exposed or perishable food.
Do not wear jewelry or hair ornaments that may drop into food.
Do not wear a dirty bandage on your finger or hand.
Do not smoke or drink where food is prepared.
Wash hands well with soap and warm water:
1. before starting work
2. before handling food
3. after using the restroom
4. after using a handkerchief
5. after handling dirty dishes or utensils
6. after handling garbage
7. after eating
8. after smoking
9. after wiping up spills
10. after cleaning tables
11. after touching hair, face, or blowing nose

Proper Handling of Gloves and Hairnets

BEFORE handling or serving any food and AFTER using the restroom, Senior Nutrition Staff and volunteers MUST wash their hands with hot water and soap. Sanitizers are not a replacement for proper hand washing. Unauthorized persons coming and going through the kitchen should be minimized due to sanitation and safety concerns.

In the Kitchen:

HAIRNETS:

Must be worn when preparing, handling, or serving food and during dishwashing.
It is recommended that hairnets be worn by all persons entering the kitchen.

GLOVES:

Put gloves on just before handling food.
Gloves must be worn when serving food without peels or protective shields that may be removed before eating. Examples of such food are apples, bread, and margarine.
Gloves must be used when using hands to mix salads or other foods.
Remove gloves BEFORE handling any equipment such as carts or when opening doors.

In the Dining Room:

HAIRNETS:

Hairnets are not required for volunteers and staff serving food to the tables unless it has been required by the agency, or Site Manager. Long hair should be pulled back and constrained especially if there is a chance of hair touching the plate being served.

GLOVES:

Gloves must be worn by persons setting the table with flatware.
As long as hands have been washed with hot water and soap, gloves are not required for volunteers or staff serving food to the tables unless the agency or Site Manager requires it.

It is important to remember that gloves are expensive and proper use is recommended to minimize waste.

Foodborne Illness Procedure

This reporting procedure is followed after 2 persons have filed the same foodborne illness complaint.

Person Receiving Complaint (usually Site Manager)
1. Collect data (immediately or within the hour) using the Foodborne Illness Complaint Form. (Form: Foodborne Illness Procedure)
2. Inform Agency Representative or immediate supervisor.
3. Inform assigned dietitian.
4. Immediately impound all implicated leftovers. Cover, label, date and refrigerate all items.
Nutrition Services Manager (County)
1. Verify the complaint and review the Foodborne Illness Complaint Form.
2. Verify the impounding of all implicated foods.
3. Contact the program dietitian, requesting immediate consultation and investigation.
4. Contact the local health department.
5. Report the problem to Sourcewise within 24 hours, including:
  1. Site(s) involved
  2. Date of reported occurrence
  3. Estimated number of persons involved
  4. Investigative procedures in progress
6. In the case of proven foodborne illness, the County staff will update Sourcewise.
Program Dietitian (County)
1. Verify the impounding of ALL implicated food according to procedures outlined. Dispose contaminated food items only after the local health department authorizes its destruction.
2. Assist local health department personnel to validate complaints and determine possible causative factors.
3. Irrespective of the validity of the complaints, thoroughly review all aspects of food handling, procurement, preparation, service, and storage for compliance with established sanitation procedures.
4. Document and report findings to Nutrition Services Manager and Senior Nutrition Program Manager.
5. Develop and implement training plans at the affected site.
6. Monitor site for compliance of food safety standards.

Grievance Policy

Contractor shall establish a Grievance Policy that complies with the terms of the contract with the County. The Grievance Policy shall assure that any participant’s complaints regarding service delivery are promptly addressed and fairly resolved and has specific requirements defined by the county to comply with applicable state and federal requirements. Nothing in the Grievance Policy shall be construed as prohibiting older individuals from seeking other available remedies, such as presenting their complaints to SNP or at an open meeting of the Social Services Agency’s governing board.

Once a policy is established, a procedure to report a grievance will be created by the agency and submitted for approval by the assigned dietitian. The Grievance Policy/Procedure shall be posted in the primary language of a significant number of older adults. A language spoken at the site that equates to 25% or more, the Grievance Policy/Procedure must be posted in that language. The SNP has available templates of the procedure in languages such as English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. A sample procedure can be found in Form: Grievance Procedure (English) (Chinese) (Japanese) (Korean) (Portuguese) (Spanish) (Vietnamese).

At a minimum, the procedure shall include all the following:

Where and who to contact to file a complaint.
Time frames within which a complaint will be acted upon.
Written notification to the complainant of the results of the review
A statement that the complainant may appeal to a higher body of authority if dissatisfied with the results of the review.

Confidentiality provisions are in place to protect the complainant’s rights to privacy. Only information relevant to the complaint may be released to the responding party without the older individual’s consent.

Complaints may involve, but not be limited to, any or all the following:

Amount or duration of a service.
Denial or discontinuance of a service.
Dissatisfaction with the service being provided or with the service provider.
Failure of the service provider to comply with any of the requirements set forth by program regulations or in the contract with SNP.

The complainant has a right to remain anonymous but will need to provide an address or email address for written correspondences. All grievances will be recorded by the site manager on an incident report and submitted to the assigned dietitian.

Incident Report

Staff and/or volunteers at the meal sites who observe (or is involved in) an incident or accident is responsible to ensure that the incident/accident is reported and handled in an expeditious manner. Document the incident/accident on a report (Form: Incident Report) and send completed copy to the SNP office. If follow-up is needed, SNP staff will conduct an investigation using the Incident Follow-Up Report (Form: Incident Follow-Up Report).

Emergency and Disaster Plan

Contracted agencies should have a written Emergency and Disaster Plan which can be activated in an emergency. Agencies must be prepared to respond to clients and staff in their facilities at the time of a disaster and to plan for the continuation or restoration of services after a disaster. The Senior Nutrition Program should be notified as soon as possible when an emergency plan is activated.

Information on emergency preparedness can be obtained from the following websites.

Santa Clara County/Public Health/Emergency Preparedness

http://www.redcross.org

http://www.fema.gov

Food Safety Certification

The Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) requires each site to have at least one employee who is certified in food safety (CalCode113947.1). SNP will pay the fees for the food safety training required for certification or re-certification if funding is available. SNP recommends that the Site Manager be certified in food safety. Additional site staff may receive the food safety training. Food safety coursework must be taken from the County of Santa Clara, Department of Environmental Health, or an approved provider.

See instructions below.

Who		Step	Action
Site Staff		1	If you plan to register for the Food Safety class: - Send an e-mail request to the assigned Dietitian. - Include in the request the following information: Name of person taking the training, name and address of certification agency, location, and date of training.
Assigned Dietitian		2	Review and approve the request and submit above documentation to the SNP Program Manager.
Program Manager		3	Review and approve the request if funding is available.
Site Staff		4	Method 1: Site staff will register for the Food Safety class and pay using a Site Credit Card (preferred method). Method 2: Site staff will provide class information to the assigned dietitian. SNP will process registration using direct pay or P-card as payment method.
Accountant Assistant		5	If Method 2 is chosen, SNP Accounting Assistant will complete a direct pay request form (marking P-Card as payment method) and submit to Purchasing unit for authorization.
Purchasing Department		6	Review and authorize the request.
Nutrition Services Manager		7	If Method 2 is chosen, use the P-Card to pay for the Food Safety class.
Site Staff		8	Attend the Food Safety class. Upon receipt, send a copy of the certificate to the Accountant Assistant and assigned Dietitian.
NOTE:	The SNP strongly suggest applicants to register as early as possible to take discounts, if available. If you are unable to attend the class, notify SNP when class is rescheduled.