§ 54-96. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Department means the county health department.

Director means the director of the county health department unless otherwise set forth.

Employee means any person employed in a nonowner/operator capacity working in or for a food establishment or temporary food establishment who engages in the storage, handling, preparation, service or distribution of food, who transports food or food containers, who comes in contact with any utensil or equipment, or who services or stocks any vending machine or similar food dispensing device, except said definition does not include truck drivers and other delivery personnel who deliver sealed containers of food or persons who service or stock vending machines which dispense only sealed containers of food.

Equipment means all stoves, ranges, hoods, meat blocks, tables, counters, cabinets, refrigerators, freezers, sinks, dishwashing machines, steam tables and similar items, other than utensils, used in the operation of a food service establishment or temporary food service establishment.

Food means any raw, cooked or processed edible substance, beverage or ingredient, used or intended for use in whole, or in part, for human consumption.

Food service establishment means any of the following:

(1)

Theaters serving such food items customarily served to the admittees of theaters as an adjunct to its primary use as a theater;

(2)

Eating places maintained and operated by a church or a religious, fraternal or nonprofit civic organization either primarily for the use of members and associates, or on a temporary basis to serve such events as fairs, carnivals or athletic contests;

(3)

Eating places maintained by a hospital, nursing home, sanitarium, adult congregate living facility, adult daycare center or other similar place;

(4)

Liquor establishments whose primary use is the sale of alcohol for immediate consumption on the premises;

(5)

Abattoir;

(6)

Food outlet;

(7)

Food processing plant; and

(8)

Establishments selling food for consumption on the premises which are not licensed by the division of hotels and restaurants of the department of business regulation of the state.

Food outlet means any grocery store, food market, meat market, fruit or vegetable market, food warehouse, refrigerated storage facility, freezer locker and any other place storing, offering or distributing food for sale.

Food processing plant means any commercial building or establishment in which food is processed or otherwise prepared and packaged for human consumption; provided that for the purposes of this article, food processing plant shall not include any shellfish processing plant whose products are intended to be sold outside of the state.

Owner/operator means any person who directs, controls or supervises the functioning of food operations in a food establishment.

Temporary food establishment means any food establishment which operates at a fixed location for a temporary period of time in connection with a fair, carnival, circus, public exhibition or other transitory gathering and shall include any food establishments operated by a nonprofit organization at a fixed location for a temporary period of time.

Utensils means any eating or drinking tableware; kitchenware such as pots, pans, ladles and food containers; or other implements used in the handling, preparation, storage or serving of food.

Vending machine means any self-service device which, upon insertion of a coin or token, or by other means, dispenses unit servings of food or beverage, either in bulk or in package, without the necessity of replenishing the device between each operation.

(Code 1979, § 10½-11)

Cross reference

Definitions generally, § 1-2.