18 AAC 31.400. Materials

(a) The operator of a food establishment shall ensure that

(1) materials used in the construction of utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment are

(A) safe, durable, corrosion resistant, and nonabsorbent;

(B) sufficient in weight and thickness to withstand repeated washing;

(D) resistant to pitting, chipping, scratching, scoring, distortion, and decomposition;

(2) solder is safe and corrosion resistant;

(3) only a safe lubricant is used on equipment or food-contact surfaces;

(4) plastic liners or containers used for food storage are made of safe materials;

(5) cast iron is used only

(A) as a cooking surface; or

(B) in utensils for serving food if the utensils are used only as part of an uninterrupted process from cooking through service;

(6) ceramic, china, crystal, and decorative utensils, including hand-painted ceramic and china that contact food, are lead-free or contain levels of lead that do not exceed the limits set in Table C of this subsection; the operator shall purchase utensils specified as lead-free, or use a commercial lead test kit to test the food-contact surfaces of utensils;

TABLE C MAXIMUM LEAD CONTENT UTENSIL CATEGORY MAXIMUM LEAD (milligrams per liter - mg/l) Coffee or other hot beverage mugs 0.5 Bowls larger than 1.1 liter (1.16 quart) 1.0 Bowls smaller than 1.1 liter 2.0 Plates, saucers, and other flat utensils 3.0

(7) copper and copper alloys, such as brass,

(A) do not contact food with a pH below six, such as vinegar, fruit juice, or wine, except that copper or copper alloys may, in the pre-fermentation or fermentation stage of beer brewing, contact beer brewing ingredients that have a pH below six; and

(B) are not used for fittings or tubing between a backflow prevention device, such as a double check valve, and a carbonator; and

(8) enamelware is not used as a food-contact surface.

(b) Hard maple or an equally nonabsorbent material may be used for cutting blocks, cutting boards, salad bowls, and baker's tables. Wood may be used for single-service articles, such as chopsticks, stirrers, or ice cream spoons. Use of wood as a food-contact surface under any other circumstance is prohibited.

(c) Repeated use of safe plastic, rubber, or rubberlike materials is allowed if the materials are resistant under normal use to pitting, chipping, scratching, scoring, distortion, and decomposition, and are of a weight and thickness that allows repeated washing, rinsing, and sanitizing by normal warewashing methods.

(d) Utensil or equipment handles made of wrapped, absorbent, or hard-to-clean materials are prohibited.

History: Eff. 5/18/97, Register 142; am/readopt 12/19/99, Register 152

Authority: AS 17.20.005

Editor's note: Effective 12/19/99, Register 152, the Department of Environmental Conservation readopted 18 AAC 31.400, to affirm the validity of that section following statutory amendments made in ch. 72, SLA 1998. The department also amended 18 AAC 31.400(a) (7). Chapter 72, SLA 1998 relocated department authority to adopt regulations in 18 AAC 31 from AS 03.05 to AS 17.20.

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