Enviro~Connections ALERT (March 28, 2018)

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

ESD Large

[ March 28, 2018 ]

IN THIS ISSUE

About Us

Maricopa County Environmental Services provides essential, regional environmental services seeking to prevent and remove environmental health risks. The Department’s Environmental Health Specialists and Field Technicians are in the community every day making sure that among other things, food in all the eating and drinking establishments in the County is protected from contamination, that water supplies throughout the County are safe to drink, and that vector borne health illnesses and risks are minimized. It is our belief that with continued support, future generations will reap the benefits of today’s actions.

Contact Us

Central & Roosevelt

Environmental Services Department

Adminstration Building (Map)
1001 N. Central Ave. Suite 401
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: (602) 506-6616

8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m

Monday thru Friday

(Excluding Holidays) 

Department Locations & Hours

ESD.Maricopa.gov 

Need assistance en Español or in 中文 for your food related business?

Spanish

Nuestros representantes o enlaces para negocios hispanos de venta de alimentos están disponibles para asistirles entendiendo las necesidades culturales de su negocio y asistiéndoles en su idioma.

Do you need to make sure that your ethnic foods meet Maricopa County Health Code standards? Our language liaisons are available to assist you!

Chinese Words

如果您與您的食品業務有文化上了解的問題和語言上的困難,我們的中文翻譯官可幫助您。

Llámenos hoy! Call us today:

(602) 506-3408

MCESD Environmental Health Division Office Locations:

Central Regional Office (Map)
1001 N. Central Ave. Suite 301
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: (602) 506-6272

8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Monday thru Friday
(Excluding Holidays)

Eastern Regional Office (Map)
106 E. Baseline Rd.,
Mesa, AZ 85210
Phone: (602) 372-3000

8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Monday thru Friday
(Excluding Holidays)

Northern Regional Office (Map)
15023 N. 75th St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Phone: (480) 483-4703

8:00 a.m. - 12:00p.m.
1:00 p.m. - 5:00p.m.
Monday thru Friday
(Excluding Holidays)

Western Regional Office (Map)
16140 N. Arrowhead Fountain Center Dr., Suite #105
Peoria, AZ 85382
Phone: (623) 939-5788

8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Monday thru Friday
(Excluding Holidays)

Mobile Food Office (Map)
1645 E. Roosevelt
Phoenix, AZ 85006
Phone: (602) 506-6872

8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Monday thru Friday
(Excluding Holidays)

Certified Food Protection Manager Certificate

A Certified Food Protection Manager shall obtain a CFPM Certificate after successful completion of a test from a Food Protection Manager Certification program as described in the 2013 FDA Food Code, § 2-102.20. 
 
Maricopa County does not provide this testing or instruction for the Certified Food Protection Manager Certificate. 

The following is a list of Food Manager Certification providers that currently are ANSI-Accredited providers of Food Manager Testing, as described in the FDA 2013 Food Code §2-102.20.

For Food Manager Certification Training, you may visit the currently ANSI-Accredited provider of Food Manager Training listed below:  

Stay Connected with ESD

Twitter - ESD
Facebook - ESD
Youtube - ESD
Instagram - ESD
LinkedIn - ESD

Thank you for staying connected with EnviroConnections by Maricopa County Environmental Services Department.
This newsletter will be available quarterly and on special occasions. Get all the issues! If you are not yet subscribed, you can sign up now and  Bookmark and Share this with a friend.

A Citizen's Complaint report?

Complaint Inspection Report

The Environmental Health Division has changed the way we document and report our findings in regards to citizen’s complaints.  

When an inspector conducts an onsite response to a citizen’s complaint, all findings will be documented under the complaint record, which is generated when a complaint is filed.

What does this change mean for you, the permit holder?  

All this means to you is, if a citizen files a complaint on your establishment, a Complaint Inspection or Complaint Response will not be recorded under your permit.  Once an onsite complaint investigation has been conducted, and the inspector has entered their findings, you will receive a copy of the complaint report.  The complaint report will include all of the investigation findings and will be provided to you, with the complainant’s information redacted, within 2 business days of the investigation. 

These changes were made to prevent duplicate records in our database and to facilitate online access to complaint investigation results.  Please contact one of our offices if you have any questions regarding the process for investigating citizen complaints.

Here below is an image with a Complaint Report sample:

Sample Complaint Response

Highly Susceptible Populations…Who are they? And what restrictions do they have?

Food Manager

Maricopa County Environmental Services Department currently enforces the 2013 Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code (Code).  The Code contains specific regulations for food establishments that serve highly susceptible populations.  

A highly susceptible population is defined as persons who are more likely than other people in the general population to experience foodborne disease because they are:

(1) Immunocompromised; preschool age children, or older adults; and

(2) Obtaining food at a facility that provides services such as custodial care, health care, or assisted living, such as a child or adult day care center, kidney dialysis center, hospital or nursing home, or nutritional or socialization services such as a senior center.

In Maricopa County, the following permit types are considered food establishments that serve highly susceptible populations:

·        Daycares

·        Hospitals

·        Nursing Homes

·        Assisted Living Homes

*Note: This does not include Independent Living permits that may be located on the campus of a nursing home or assisted living facility. 

Per the Code, food establishments that serve highly susceptible populations:

·        May not use time as a control for raw eggs

·        Must only serve pasteurized juice

·        Must use pasteurized eggs in place of raw shell eggs for items such as undercooked eggs, Caesar salad, meringue, eggnog, Hollandaise sauce, ice cream, etc.  Raw eggs can be used for baking, such as breads and cakes

·        Cannot serve raw animal foods such as raw fish, raw-marinated fish, raw molluscan seafood (oysters, clams, mussels), and steak tartare

·        Cannot serve a partially cooked animal food such as lightly cooked fish, rare meat, soft-cooked eggs that are made from raw eggs, and meringue

·        Cannot serve raw seed sprouts.

·        Cannot handle ready to eat foods with their bare hands

·        Cannot reserve food that has been provided to patients or clients who are under medical isolation or quarantine, even if it has not been opened (such as a package of crackers, an individual portion of peanut butter, etc.).

Food Services - Hospitals

The Code provides additional requirements for exclusion of ill employees, or employees with ill family members, for food establishments that serve highly susceptible populations that go above and beyond the traditional illness policies. 

These additional illness requirements can be found at: Retail Food Protection: Employee Health and Personal Hygiene HandbookThe Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Handbook includes a decision tree to assist you in determining what direction to take when an employee exhibits illness symptoms, has been diagnosed with a foodborne illness, or if a family member is sick or diagnosed.

If you have questions regarding Code requirements for highly susceptible populations, contact your inspector or the supervisors for the Chain Food, Institutional Care, and Food Production Program:

Michelle Chester

mchester@mail.maricopa.gov

602-506-6964

Or

Michelle Roemersberger

mroemersberger@mail.maricopa.gov

602-506-6942    

Back to Top

Food Safety Training is in Your hands

When are Food Employee Training Documentation Audits conducted?

Food Training

Maricopa County requires all food employees to receive food safety training. The person in charge of a food establishment is responsible for ensuring that food employees are properly trained and that food employee training documentation is maintained at the establishment.  Food employee training documentation includes certificates of completion, or identification cards, from approved food worker training providers. 

Maricopa County inspectors will conduct audits of food employee training documentation when one or more Priority (P) violations, of the same code reference, are documented on consecutive inspections.  Food employee training documentation audits may also be performed, at the inspector’s discretion, when other repetitive or serious health code violations are documented or when lack of Active Managerial Control is observed. 

For information regarding food service worker training and approved food worker testing providers visit our website at: Food Employees

Back to Top

Stay More Connected!

Social Media icons

Follow Us, Like Us, Watch Us and More!

Maricopa County Environmental Services department is constantly working to make effective use of social media. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel, and connect with us on FacebookTwitter, LinkedIn and Instagram!   

Back to Top