The person in charge is an individual present at a retail food establishment who is responsible for the operation at the time of inspection per the Indiana “Retail Food Establishment Sanitation Requirements.” The person-in-charge shall be able to identify and take immediate correction action to eliminate risks associated with foodborne illness and injury, applications of HACCP principles and requirements of the required retail food establishment rules.
The person-in-charge shall ensure the following:
(1) Retail food establishment operations are not conducted in a private home or a room used as living or sleeping quarters as specified under section 427 of this rule.
(2) Individuals unnecessary to the retail food establishment operation are not allowed in the food preparation, food storage, or ware-washing areas, but brief visits and tours may be authorized by the person in charge if steps are taken to ensure that:
(A) Exposed food
(B) Clean equipment, utensils, and linens, and
(C) Unwrapped single-service and single-use articles
are protected from contamination
(3) Employees and other people, such as delivery and maintenance workers and pesticide applicators, entering the food preparation, food storage, and warewashing areas shall comply with this rule.
(4) Employees are effectively cleaning their hands by routinely monitoring the employees' handwashing.
(5) Employees are visibly observing foods as they are received to determine that the foods are:
(A) From approved sources
(B) Delivered at the required temperatures
(C) Protected from contamination
(D) Unadulterated and
(E) Accurately presented by routinely monitoring the employees' observations and periodically evaluating foods after they are received
(6) Employees have a method for verifying that foods delivered to the retail food establishment during nonoperating hours are:
(A) From approved sources
(B) Placed into appropriate storage locations so the foods are
(i) Maintained at the required temperatures
(ii) Protected from contamination
(C) Unadulterated
(D) Accurately presented
(7) Employees are properly cooking time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food, being particularly careful in cooking those foods known to cause severe foodborne illness and death, such as eggs and comminuted meats, through daily oversight of the employees' routine monitoring of the cooking temperatures using appropriate temperature measuring devices, properly scaled and calibrated, as specified under sections 246 and section 302(b) of this rule.
(8) Employees are using proper methods to rapidly cool TCS foods that are not held hot or for consumption within four hours, through daily oversight of the employees' routine monitoring of food temperatures during cooling.
(9) Employees are properly maintaining the temperatures of TCS foods during hot and cold holding through daily oversight of the employees' routine monitoring of food temperatures
(10) Food employees are properly maintaining the temperature of TCS foods during thawing through daily oversight of the food employees routine monitoring of food temperatures
(11) Consumers who order raw or partially cooked ready-to-eat foods of animal origin are informed as specified under section 223 of this rule that the food is not cooked sufficiently to ensure its safety
(12) Employees are properly sanitizing cleaned multi-use equipment and utensils before they are reused, through routine monitoring of solution temperature and exposure time for hot water sanitizing, and chemical concentration, pH, temperature, and exposure time for chemical sanitizing
(13) Consumers are notified that clean tableware is to be used when they return to self-service areas, such as salad bars and buffets, as specified under section 187 of this rule
(14) Except when approval is obtained from the department as specified in section 173(e) of this rule, employees are preventing cross-contamination of ready-to-eat food from unwashed hands and are properly using suitable utensils, such as:
(A) Deli tissue
(B) Spatulas
(C) Tongs
(D) Single-use gloves or
(E) Dispensing equipment
(15) Food employees are properly trained in food safety, including food allergy awareness, as it relates to their assigned duties. Food allergy awareness includes describing foods identified as major food allergens and the symptoms that a major food allergen could cause in a sensitive individual who has an allergic reaction.
(16) Food employees and conditional employees are informed in a verifiable way of their responsibility to report under this rule, to the person in charge, information about their health and activities as they relate to diseases that are transmissible through food, as specified under section 137(a) of this rule.
(17) Written procedures and plans, where specified by this rule and as developed by the retail food establishment, are maintained and implemented as required.