The Processed Food Act

Regulations 

(Under Section 13)

The Processed Food (Establishments) Regulations, 1959

(Made by the Governor in Council on the 18th day of September, 1959) 

[15th October, 1959.]

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Processed Food (Establishments) Regulations, 1959.

2. In these Regulations "the Director" means the Director of the Bureau of Standards.

3. Every application for registration of an establishment shall be made to the Director by the person proposing to operate the establishment in Form A in the Schedule.

4.   (1) The Director shall, as soon as possible after he has received an application for registration of an establishment, cause an inspector to visit the establishment and report thereon.

     (2) The certificate of appointment of every inspector shall be in the form prescribed in Form B in the Schedule.

     (3) The Director shall not cause the establishment to be registered until he is satisfied, after consideration of the report of the inspector, that the provisions of regulations 7, 8 and 9 have been complied with in relation to the establishment.

     (4) As soon as an establishment has been registered, the Director shall cause a certificate of registration in Form C in the Schedule to be issued to the person applying for registration of the establishment concerned.

     (5) A certificate of registration shall not be transferred from one establishment to another.

     (6) Every certificate of registration shall remain valid until the 31st day of August next succeeding the issue of such certificate, and shall then expire.

     (7) Every application for renewal of the registration of an establishment shall be made not later than the 31st day of August in each year, and the provisions of regulations 3 and 4 shall apply to an application for renewal of registration.

5.  (1) The Director shall assign to every establishment a registration letter or number upon first registration of the establishment, and every certificate of registration shall bear the registration letter or number of the establishment in respect of which such certificate is issued.

     (2) No establishment shall be assigned any registration letter or number which has been previously assigned to any other establishment.

     (3) The registration letter or number assigned to an establishment under this regulation shall appear at the beginning of any identification code used in relation to that establishment.

6. The operator of every registered establishment shall keep the certificate of registration exhibited in a conspicuous place in the
establishment.

7. Every establishment shall be so constructed that-

(a) all the floors thereof are impermeable and capable of being thoroughly drained;

(b) the walls, ceilings, partitions and doors, and any post or other structure in the interior of any room are capable of being thoroughly cleaned and maintained in a clean state;

(c) the roof is weather-tight;

(d) no lavatory. sink, or cesspool is in any place or position which is likely to permit odours or fumes from such lavatory, sink or cesspool to pervade any room or other place where food is prepared, stored, kept or transported.

8. Every establishment shall be provided with-

(a) a safe and adequate supply of both hot and cold water;

(b) adequate lavatories or other sanitary conveniences, dressing rooms and facilities for washing including soap or detergent, nail brushes and disposable towels or any other efficient drying device for the use of persons employed in the establishment;

(c) suitable facilities for the prompt collection and disposal of waste and refuse from the establishment;

(d) effective means for securing and maintaining suitable, and sufficient lighting of the establishment;

(e) adequate ventilation, and such other safeguards as may be necessary to prevent condensed water vapour from coming into  contact with equipment and ingredients used in the preparation of food;

(f) screens or other suitable protection to the satisfaction of the Director over doors, widows and other openings to prevent the entry of insects, birds and animals into any room in which food is prepared, stored, kept or transported.

9.   (1) All plant and equipment used in an establishment for receiving, washing, segregating. picking, processing, packaging or storing any food or any ingredients used in the preparation of food shall be of such design, material and construction as will-

(a) enable the examination, segregation, preparation, packaging or processing of the food or ingredient to be carried out in a clean and sanitary manner; and

(b) permit easy access to all parts of such plant or equipment to ensure thorough cleaning and bactericidal treatment thereof.

     (2) All equipment and utensils in an establishment shall, as far as is practicable, be made of corrosion-resistant material incapable of contaminating food by contact therewith.

10. Every registered establishment shall comply with the following requirements-

(a) the establishment, all yards and outbuildings appurtenant thereto and all approaches thereto shall at all times be kept in a clean and sanitary state;

(b) all containers in the establishment shall be clean and sanitary;

(c) no food in the establishment shall be permitted to come in contact with any substance that may have a deleterious effect on the quality thereof;

(d) every lavatory, sink and cesspool shall be maintained in a sanitary condition and so that no odours or fumes therefrom may pervade any room or place where food is prepared, stored or kept;

(e) all practicable steps shall be taken to ensure that every person handling food washes his hands thoroughly-

(i) immediately before he commences work on any day; and

(ii) immediately before he resumes work after any absence from the room where he is working;

(f) every person entering or employed in any room where food other than in hermetically sealed containers is prepared, stored or kept or transported shall be clad in an overall gown and suitable head covering, which shall not be worn outside the establishment;

(g) no person in a dirty or unclean condition shall be permitted to be in any room where food is prepared, stored or kept;

(h) no person shall be permitted to spit, use tobacco, eat or sleep in any room or other place where food is prepared, stored or kept, or to introduce into any such room or other place any food other than food proposed to be prepared, stored or kept or transported therein;

(i) no poisonous cleaning agent, insecticide, germicide or rodent poison shall be used in the establishment-

(i) without the approval of an inspector; and

(ii) unless all necessary precautions are taken to protect all food in the establishment from contamination therewith, and any such poisonous cleaning agent, insecticide, germicide or rodent poison kept or stored in the establishment shall be safely stored away from any room or other place where food is prepared, stored or kept;

(j) adequate first-aid equipment shall be kept at convenient places in the establishment and such equipment shall include water-proof dressing;

(k) no person having any open cut or abrasion shall be employed in the establishment unless such cut or abrasion is covered with waterproof dressing;

(l) at least one employee in the establishment shall be designated by the operator of the establishment as the person responsible for maintaining therein the sanitary requirements of these Regulations;

(m) the design cons ruction and manufacture of plant equipment and utensils and the materials used in the construction thereof shall be adequate for the purpose of preparing prescribed food to the standard required by the Regulations.

11. Any inspector may-

(a) whenever he thinks it necessary so to do, require any person employed in a registered establishment to be examined by a Medical Officer (Health);

(b) require the operator of any registered establishment to remove from the establishment any person employed therein who is suspected by the inspector as having or carrying any communicable disease.

12. No operator of a registered establishment shall continue to employ therein any person who is required, under regulation 11, to be medically examined or to be removed from the establishment, as the case may be, until that person obtains from a Medical Officer (Health) a medical certificate indicating his fitness to be so employed.

13. The operator of a registered establishment shall forthwith upon becoming aware or suspicious of the occurrence of any case of a
communicable disease among the persons employed in or about the establishment report the matter to a Medical Officer (Health).

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