St. Louis City Revised Code Chapter 11.42 Part V
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Chapter 11.42
RESTAURANTS
PART V. EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS
A. Food-contact surfaces of equipment and utensils shall be constructed and repaired with:
1. Safe materials, including finishing materials, and 2. Durable, corrosion resistant and non-absorbent, and
3. Shall be sufficient in weight and thickness to withstand repeated warewashing, and
4. Finished to have smooth easily cleanable surfaces, that are resistant to pitting, chipping, crazing, scratching, scouring, distortion, and decomposition;
B. Single-service and single-use articles shall be made from clean, sanitary, safe materials; and
C. All equipment, utensils, single-service and single-use articles, shall not allow the migration of deleterious substances or impart colors, odors, or tastes to food. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.304 Materials--Use limitations.
A. Solder and flux that contain lead in excess of 0.2% may not be used on surfaces that contact food.
B. Wood and wood wicker may not be used as a food-contact surface, except hard maple or an equivalently hard, close-grained, nonabsorbent wood may be used for cutting boards, cutting blocks, baker’s tables, and utensils such as rolling pins, doughnut dowels, salad bowls, chopsticks, stirrers, or ice cream spoons.
C. Copper and copper alloys such as brass shall not be used in contact with a food that has a pH below 7 such as vinegar, fruit juice, or wine or for a fitting or tubing installed between a backflow prevention device and a carbonator.
D. Galvanized metal shall not be used for utensils or food-contact surfaces of equipment that are used for beverages, moist food, or hygroscopic food.
E. Pewter shall not be used as a food-contact surface. Imitation pewter meeting the characteristics of multi-use utensils specified under Section 11.42.302 may be used as a food-contact surface.
F. Plastic, rubber or rubber-like materials shall not be used as a food-contact surface unless characteristics meet requirements specified under Section 11.42.302.
G. Linens, napkins and sponges may not be used in contact with food, except linens and napkins may be used to line containers used for the service of foods if the linens and napkins are replaced each time the container is refilled for a new consumer (i.e., bread, rolls).
H. Mollusk and crustacea shells may be used only once as a serving container. Further re-use of such shells for food service is prohibited. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.306 Materials--Single service/single use.
A. Re-use of single-service articles is prohibited.
B. Single-use gloves shall be used for only one task, such as working with ready-to-eat food, or with raw potentially hazardous food, used for no other purpose, and discarded when damaged or soiled, or when interruptions occur in the operation. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.308 Design and construction--General.
A. All equipment and utensils, including plastic-ware, shall be designed and constructed to be durable and to retain their characteristics under normal use conditions:
1. Equipment shall be National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) approved or equivalent.
2. Food-contact surfaces of equipment shall be easily cleanable, smooth, and free of breaks, open seams, cracks, chips, pits, and similar imperfections, and free of difficult-to-clean, sharp internal angles, corners, and crevices.
3. Cast iron may be used as a food-contact surface only if the surface is heated, such as in grills, griddle tops, and skillets.
4. Threads shall be designed to facilitate cleaning; ordinary "V" type threads are prohibited in food-contact surfaces, except that in equipment such as ice makers or hot oil cooking equipment and hot oil filtering systems, such threads shall be minimized.
B. Equipment containing bearings and gears requiring unsafe lubricants shall be designed and constructed so that the lubricant cannot leak, drip, or be forced into food or onto food-contact surfaces. Only safe lubricants shall be used on equipment designed to receive lubrication of bearings and gears on or within food-contact surfaces.
C. Sinks and drain boards shall be self-draining.
(Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.310 Design and construction--Accessibility.
Unless designed for in-place cleaning, food-contact surfaces shall be accessible for cleaning and inspection:
A. Without being disassembled; or
B. By disassembling without the use of tools; or
C. By easy disassembling with the use of only simple tools such as a mallet, a screwdriver, or an open-end wrench kept available near the equipment. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.312 Design and construction--In-place cleaning.
Equipment intended for in-place cleaning shall be designed and constructed so that:
A. Cleaning and sanitizing solutions circulating throughout a fixed system will contact all interior food-contact surfaces; and
B. The system is self-draining or capable of being completely drained of cleaning and sanitizing solution. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.314 Design and construction--Pressure spray cleaning.
Fixed equipment designed and constructed to be cleaned and sanitized by pressure spray methods shall have sealed electrical wiring, switches, and connections. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.316 Design and construction--Thermometers.
Food temperature measuring devices required for immersion into food or cooking media:
A. Shall be of metal stem-type construction, and designed to be easily readable.
B. Food temperature measuring devices shall have a numerical scale, printed record, or digital readout in increments no greater than 2 degrees F or 1 degree C. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.318 Design and construction--Non-food-contact surfaces.
Surfaces of equipment that are exposed to splash, spillage, or other food soiling or that require frequent cleaning shall be constructed and repaired with a corrosion-resistant, nonabsorbent, and smooth material and:
A. Shall be smooth, washable, free of unnecessary ledges, projections, or crevices; and
B. Readily accessible for cleaning; and
C. Shall be of such material and in such repair as to be easily maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.320 Design and construction--Ventilation.
All ventilation systems in food preparation and dishwashing areas including components such as hoods, fans, guards, and ducting:
A. Shall be designed to prevent grease or condensation from draining or dripping onto food, equipment, utensils, linens and single-service and single-use articles;
B. Shall be sufficient in number and capacity to prevent grease or condensation from collecting on walls and ceilings; and
C. Shall comply with law and fire prevention codes and shall be vented to the outside air in such a manner as not to create a public nuisance. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.322 Design and construction--Existing equipment.
In enforcing the provision of this chapter, the regulatory authority shall access existing facilities or equipment that were in use before the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter based on the following considerations:
A. Whether the facilities or equipment are in good repair and capable of being maintained in a sanitary condition; and
B. Whether food contact surfaces comply with Section 11.42.308 of this chapter;
C. The regulatory authority may grant a variance by modifying or waiving the requirements of this chapter, if in the opinion of the regulatory authority a health hazard will not result from the variance; and
D. If variance is granted by the regulatory authority, the file on the food establishment shall retain:
1. A statement of the proposed variance of the chapter requirements citing relevant section numbers, and
2. A written analysis of the rational for how the potential public health hazards addressed by the relevant sections will be alternatively addressed by the proposal. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.324 Equipment installation and location--General.
Equipment, including ice makers and ice storage equipment, shall not be located under exposed or unprotected sewer lines or water lines, open stairwells, or other sources of contamination. This requirement does not apply to automatic fire protection sprinkler heads that may be required by law, unless they are leaking. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.326 Equipment installation and location--Table-mounted equipment.
A. Equipment that is placed on tables or counters, unless portable, shall be sealed to the table or counter or elevated on legs to provide at least a four (4) inch clearance between the table or counter and equipment and shall be installed to facilitate the cleaning of the equipment and adjacent areas.
B. Equipment is portable within the meaning of this chapter if:
1. It is small and light enough to be moved easily by one person; and
2. It has no utility connection, or has a utility connection that disconnects quickly, or has a flexible utility connection line or sufficient length to permit the equipment to be moved for easy cleaning. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.328 Equipment installation and location--Floor-mounted equipment.
A. A unit of equipment that is fixed because it is not easily movable shall be installed so that it is:
1. Spaced to allow access for cleaning along the sides, behind, and above the unit;
2. Spaced from adjoining equipment, walls, and ceilings a distance of not more than one-thirty-second (1/32) inch; or
3. Sealed to adjoining equipment or walls, if the unit is exposed to spillage or seepage.
B. Floor-mounted equipment that is not easily movable shall be sealed to the floor or elevated on legs that provide at least a six (6) inch clearance between the floor and the equipment; except that vertically mounted floor mixers may be elevated as little as four (4) inches if no part of the floor under the mixer is more than six (6) inches from cleaning access or installed on a raised platform of concrete or other smooth masonry in a way that meets all the requirements in subsections A and B of this section.
C. Equipment is easily movable if:
1. It is mounted on wheels or coasters; and
2. Has no utility connection or has a utility connection that disconnects quickly or has a flexible utility line of sufficient length to permit the equipment to be moved for easy cleaning. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.330 Equipment installation--Good repair and proper adjustment.
A. Equipment shall be maintained in a state of repair and condition that meets the requirements specified in Sections 11.42.302 and 11.42.304.
B. Equipment components such as doors, seals, hinges, fasteners, and kick plates shall be kept intact, tight and adjusted in accordance with manufacturers’ specifications.
C. Cutting or piercing parts of can openers shall be kept sharp to minimize the creation of metal fragments that can contaminate food when the container is opened and shall be readily removable for cleaning and/or replacement.
D. Surfaces such as cutting blocks and boards that are subject to scratching and scoring shall be resurfaced if they can no longer be effectively cleaned and sanitized, or discarded if they are not capable of being resurfaced. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
11.42.332 Equipment installation--Aisles and working spaces.
Aisles and working spaces between units of equipment and walls shall be unobstructed and of sufficient width to permit employees to perform their duties readily without contamination of food or food-contact surfaces by clothing or personal contact. All easily movable storage equipment such as pallets, racks, and dollies shall be positioned to provide accessibility to working areas. (Ord. 63699 (part), 1996.)
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