414-305-1130 Food Storage and Preparation (1) A certified child care center must store, prepare, and serve all food and drink provided by the center in a sanitary manner and protected from contamination. (2) Water for preparing food, drinking or cooking shall not be obtained from handwashing sinks. (3) A certified child care center must ensure that food-contact surfaces and items, such as kitchenware, utensils, tableware, service items, and storage items that come into contact with food, are designed and constructed of safe, non-toxic materials and are smooth, nonabsorbent, easily cleanable, durable, and in good repair. (4) A certified child care center must refrigerate potentially hazardous foods and all foods requiring refrigeration including food that children bring from home, except during preparation and service. (a) Milk and food must not sit out for longer than 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the meal or snack. (b) All food stored in the refrigerator must be tightly covered, wrapped, or otherwise protected from direct contact with other food to prevent cross contamination. (5) A certified child care center must thaw frozen food by one of the following methods: (a) In a refrigerator; (b) Under cool running drinking water inside a pan placed in a sink with the drain plug removed; (c) In a microwave if the food is to be cooked as part of the continuous cooking process; or (d) As part of the cooking process. (6) A certified child care center must serve food promptly after preparation or cooking or maintain it at safe temperatures of 41°F or below for cold foods or 135°F or above for hot foods. (a) A small diameter probe thermometer must be used to measure the temperature of food. (b) Foods that have been cooked, and then refrigerated, must be reheated rapidly to at least 165°F before being served or placed in a hot food storage unit. (7) A certified child care center must ensure that foods heated in a microwave are not too hot before serving to children. (8) A certified child care center must prepare food according to the minimum standards identified in food handler certification including: (a) Using gloves, utensils, or tongs to serve food; (b) Washing raw fruits and vegetables in water to remove soil and other contaminants before being cut, combined with other ingredients, cooked, served, or offered for human consumption in ready-to-eat form; and (c) Preparing food on food-contact surfaces and with utensils that are cleaned and sanitized after each use and whenever there is a change in processing from raw to ready-to-eat foods. (9) A certified child care center must protect food from contamination by: (a) Transferring prepared food to each child’s plate or bowl using a suitable dispensing utensil that is not used for eating or any other purpose. (b) Washing and sanitizing bowls, platters, pitchers, and utensils used for serving food or drink before reusing. (c) Dispensing milk from commercial one-gallon or smaller plastic containers, individual half-pint containers, or from a refrigerated bulk container equipped with an approved dispensing device, and: (A) Opening milk containers immediately before pouring; (B) Returning any unused portions left in the original container to refrigeration; and (C) Discarding any unused portions of milk left in a serving pitcher or open individual serving containers. (d) Discarding all food removed from the kitchen after meal service. (e) Labeling, dating, and refrigerating any prepared food which has not been removed from the kitchen and used within 48 hours or immediately freeze for later use. (f) Washing, rinsing, and sanitizing multi-use dishes, cups, serving and eating utensils, tables, and high chair trays after each use according to the Oregon Health Authority’s Chapter 33, Division 150 Food Sanitation rules. (g) Air drying all tableware, equipment, and utensils after being sanitized. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 329A.260 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 329A.260 History: ELD 10-2023, adopt filed 06/28/2023, effective 01/01/2024