WAC 246-215-121
Mobile food units. (1) The permit
holder and person in charge of a mobile food unit must comply
with the requirements of this chapter, except as otherwise
provided in this section.
(2) The permit holder must obtain approval from other
applicable regulating agencies prior to operating a mobile
food unit, including the Washington state department of labor
and industries.
(3) The person in charge of a mobile food unit must
operate the mobile food unit from an approved commissary or
servicing area and shall return to such location for supplies,
thorough cleaning, and other servicing activities, as approved
in a plan of operation. When not in operation, a mobile food
unit must be stored at an approved servicing area or other
approved location.
(4) The regulatory authority may impose additional
requirements to protect against health hazards related to the
operation of a mobile food unit and may:
(a) Limit the food preparation steps;
(b) Prohibit some menu items; and
(c) Restrict the mode of operation when facilities or
equipment are inadequate to protect public health.
(5) The owner of a mobile food unit must submit a
properly prepared plan of operation with specifications of the
mobile food unit, commissary, and servicing area to the
regulatory authority for approval before:
(a) Construction or remodeling begins;
(b) The menu of the mobile food unit is changed;
(c) The method of food preparation is changed;
(d) The vehicle is changed; or
(e) The commissary is changed.
(6) The owner of a mobile food unit must include in the
plan required by subsection (5) of this section:
(a) Menu and food preparation steps;
(b) Floor plan;
(c) Equipment specifications and location;
(d) Finish schedule;
(e) Proposed itinerary or sites to be served;
(f) Source of water and specifications of the on-board
plumbing;
(g) Site used for sewage disposal;
(h) Availability of restrooms for employees;
(i) Operating procedures; and
(j) Cleaning schedule.
(7) The person in charge of a mobile food unit must
ensure:
(a) Only employees and other persons authorized by the
regulatory authority are present in the mobile food unit; and
(b) All employees are in compliance with the provisions
of chapter 69.06 RCW and chapter 246-217 WAC for obtaining and
renewing valid food worker cards, unless all foods are
prepackaged and are nonpotentially hazardous.
(8) The person in charge of a mobile food unit must
ensure:
(a) All foods, including ice, are from an approved source
or commissary;
(b) Potentially hazardous foods prepared on the mobile
food unit are served the same day that they are prepared;
(c) Prepackaged foods are properly labeled;
(d) Only single-service articles are provided for use by
the customer; and
(e) Condiments not in individual packages are provided in
dispenser bottles or in other containers protected from
contamination.
(9) The person in charge of a mobile food unit must
ensure that potentially hazardous foods are:
(a) Not cooled on the mobile food unit;
(b) Properly temperature-controlled during transport to
the place of service;
(c) Temperature-monitored by use of a stem-type
thermometer or thermocouple capable of measuring all proper
food temperatures;
(d) Reheated, for hot holding, from 45°F to 165°F or above
within one hour on the mobile food unit when the foods were
cooked and cooled in an approved nonmobile food establishment;
(e) Reheated, for hot holding, from 45°F to 140°F or above
within one hour on the mobile food unit when the foods were
produced in a food processing plant;
(f) Reheated no more than one time; and
(g) Held in preheated mechanical hot holding equipment or
prechilled mechanical cold holding equipment, or otherwise
temperature controlled by an approved method.
(10) The person in charge must ensure that raw meats
greater than one inch in thickness are not cooked on the
mobile food unit, unless otherwise approved.
(11) The person in charge must ensure that the water
system on the mobile food unit:
(a) Is supplied from an approved source of water;
(b) Is designed and constructed in an approved manner;
(c) Is filled from the approved water source through a
food-grade hose;
(d) Is refilled as frequently as necessary to furnish
enough hot and cold water for handwashing, food preparation,
utensil cleaning, sanitizing, and facility cleaning, on the
mobile food unit;
(e) Has a water supply tank with a minimum capacity of
five gallons for handwashing;
(f) Stores liquid waste in a wastewater retention tank
with at least fifteen percent more capacity than the water
supply tank; and
(g) Retains wastewater on the mobile food unit until
disposed of by an approved method.
(12) The person in charge of the mobile food unit must
ensure that a separate handwashing facility for employees is
accessible at all times of operation and includes:
(a) A sink with potable, warm, running water;
(b) Soap; and
(c) Paper towels.
(13) When only prepackaged food items are served, the
regulatory authority may waive or modify requirements for
handwashing on the mobile food unit.
(14) The permit holder must ensure approved toilet
facilities are available for employees:
(a) Readily accessible within two hundred feet of the
mobile food unit during times of operation, if at any one
location for more than one hour; and
(b) Provided with handwashing facilities with potable,
warm, running water.
(15) The permit holder must ensure:
(a) A three-compartment sink is available on the mobile
food unit with potable hot and cold running water to wash,
rinse, and sanitize utensils when utensils are reused on the
mobile food unit; except
(b) This requirement may be waived or modified by the
regulatory authority when:
(i) Limited food preparation occurs; or
(ii) Additional clean utensils are available and utensil
washing takes place at an approved commissary or servicing
area.
(16) The permit holder must provide the regulatory
authority a designated business name and ensure that name is
posted on the mobile food unit in a manner easily visible to
customers during operation.
(17) The permit holder must ensure the original or a copy
of the currently valid food establishment permit is posted on
the mobile food unit in a manner easily visible to customers
during operation.
(18) The permit holder and person in charge must ensure
overhead protection is provided at the site of operation of
the mobile food unit for all food handling activities.
(19) The permit holder and person in charge must ensure
that all food, equipment, utensils, and other food service
supplies are contained on the mobile food unit, at the
approved commissary, at the approved servicing area, or as
otherwise approved in the plan of operation.
(20) The menu of a mobile food unit that can be moved
between locations by being pushed by a single person must be
limited to nonpotentially hazardous foods, hot dogs, and
espresso drinks, unless otherwise approved.
(21) The regulatory authority may allow a person to
operate a food establishment with a limited menu in a movable
building without permanent plumbing under applicable
provisions of this section.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050, 43.20.145 and 69.80.060.
04-22-111, § 246-215-121, filed 11/3/04, effective 5/2/05.]