Washington Regulations
Have you heard the news yet? The State of Washington has adopted NEW regulations that will definitely affect your food business. Here is a brief summary of what to expect and when the new laws go into effect.
Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Manager Regulation : Effective date March 1st, 2023.
We have a class conveniently scheduled on January 24th, 2023 at The Quality Inn in Spokane, Washington. Reserve your seat today so that you can rest easy knowing that you will get your certification taken care of before the deadline.
To request a class in another area send us a message! We are looking forward to spending a lot of time in Washington and we will base our schedule on where we are needed.
New Date Marking Regulations : Effective date August 31st, 2022.
Vomit & Diarrhea Clean Up Policy Regulation : Effective date August 31st, 2022.
Alright so what do these NEW rules mean? Let’s break it down.
Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Regulation: The new CFPM regulations state that each establishment/ownership MUST have at least one person with a CFPM certification. You can obtain your CFPM certification by attending one of our In-Person ServSafe CFPM Training Events. This regulation does not require that the certified person is on-site during all operating hours, but it does require a designated Person In Charge (PIC) who is able to demonstrate knowledge by showing that they are knowledgeable and that they have Active Managerial Control (AMC) over the facility during all hours of operation. Once you have someone with their CFPM certification, it is their responsibility to make sure that all PICs are trained in the material that was gleaned from the training they attended. Washington inspectors are currently offering an educational period between now and March 1st, 2023, however after the effective date violations will be written for not having a CFPM certification. Our one day, all inclusive training/exam is a straightforward, time efficient way to complete this certification.
Date Marking Regulation: The new date marking regulations will go into effect on August 31st, 2022. After August 31st, 2022 it will be required that all Time & Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods that are also Ready-to-Eat (RTE) will be required to have a date label placed on them once they are prepared. Examples of foods that will require a date label are tuna fish salad, pasta salad, opened bags of shredded cheese, cooked rice that has been cooled and will be stored in the refrigerator, etc. Foods that require a date label must not be kept longer than 7 days from the day that they were prepared and date labels must include the name of the food and the date the food must be discarded. A good practice that I would highly recommend implementing is to include on the date label the following items: (1) name of food; (2) date food was prepared and date the food must be discarded. For instance if a food was prepared on July 1st you would include 7/1 - 7/7; (3) initials of whoever prepared the food. We have more information about date labeled in the Members Section of our website.
Vomit & Diarrhea Clean UP Policy Regulation: With Norovirus being the most common foodborne illness in the Unites States, the Washington Food Code has adopted a new regulation requiring all food establishments to have a designated Vomit & Diarrhea Clean Up Policy. Policies must meet specific requirements for chemicals as well as concentrations in addition to contact times. You can find examples of these policies as well as other required policies in our Members Section of our website.
Change is never fun, but is an inevitable part of life. These new requirements may seem like a lot at first, but will become old news before you know it. If we can prevent one fatality from foodborne illness by implementing these new rules then I would say it is worth it. Please comment below with what questions you have and I will do my best to answer them. We look forward to having you in one of our upcoming ServSafe Manager Trainings.
Please let us know how else we can assist you in adjusting to these new regulations. We appreciate all of our hardworking food and beverage folks for tirelessly working through these unprecedented times. We see you and we appreciate you. Take a load off by spending the day with us going over critical new information, but also just coming together as a community to learn new things and to make us stronger as a whole.