L.S. 419.01 Regolamenti dwar l-Istandard Mark (Ħtiġiet Sanitarji)

(1)In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires - Interpretation. "Act" means the Malta Standards Authority Act; Cap. 419. "food" means food intended for human consumption and includes raw food materials, food ingredients, food intermediates, food additives, and drink; "open food" means food not contained in a closed container; "food room" means any room, area, bay or yard in which food business is conducted; "contamination" includes contamination by human beings and their clothing, by animals, insects and birds, and by odour; "food premises" means one or more food rooms to the exclusion of any other room, area, bay or yard; "equipment" includes apparatus, furniture, furnishings and utensils; "food business" means the reception, handling, processing, packing or storage of food.

(2)Words and phrases not otherwise defined in these regulations shall have the same meaning as is assigned to them in the Act.

1. No application for a licence under the Act may be made to the Authority unless the applicant has first complied with these regulations both as regards the food premises as well as regards the containers, the packing, and the transportation, handling and storage of the goods in respect of which an application is intended to be made to the Authority. Requirements prior to application for a licence under the Act.
2. No food premises shall be in an insanitary condition or be so sited or constructed that food may become exposed to risk of contamination. Insanitary food premises.
3. No fresh air intake of any ventilation pipe forming part of the soil drainage system of the food premises shall be situated in a food room and any inlet into such system in any food room shall be closed with a water trap. Drainage system. 6.

(1)Any food premises shall be provided with such a number of water supply points as may be necessary for the serving Supply of water to food premises. 2 [ S.L.419.01 STANDARD MARK (SANITARY REQUIREMENTS) of the sanitary conveniences and wash-hand basins prescribed by these Regulations.

(2)No cistern used for the supply of water to any food premises shall also supply water to a sanitary convenience unless through an efficient flushing cistern or through some other efficient flushing apparatus which will be suitable for the prevention of the contamination of water supplies.

(3)When any food premises are supplied with water obtained from non-Government sources, such water shall be certified as being physically, chemically and bacteriologically safe by the Superintendent of Public Health. Sanitary conveniences. 7.

(1)Any sanitary convenience used in connection with any food premises shall have installed an efficient flushing cistern or other efficient flushing apparatus to be kept constantly in good working order and it shall be so placed that no offensive odours therefrom may penetrate into any food room.

(2)Any room which contains such a sanitary convenience shall be suitably and sufficiently lighted and ventilated and shall be kept constantly clean.

(3)No room which contains a sanitary convenience shall be used as a food room.

(4)No food room which communicates directly with a room containing a sanitary convenience shall be used for the handling of open food or for the cleaning of equipment to be used in any food business in the course of which open food is handled.

(5)There shall be affixed and maintained in a prominent and suitable position near the entrance to any sanitary convenience used in connection with any food premises a clearly legible notice requesting the washing of the hands after using the convenience.

(6)Every room containing such a sanitary convenience shall be provided with a wash-hand basin and the provisions of regulation 8

(2)and

(3)shall apply to such wash-hand basin. Wash-hand basins. 8.

(1)There shall be provided in any food premises suitable and sufficient wash-hand basins for the use of all persons engaged therein in the handling of food.

(2)Every such wash-hand basin shall be placed in a position easily accessible to any person and shall be constantly provided with an adequate supply of water, and with adequate supplies of soap or other suitable detergent, nail brushes and clean towels or other suitable drying facilities intended to be used solely for securing the personal cleanliness of persons engaged in the handling of food.

(3)Every such wash-hand basin and every trap and connection thereof shall be kept clean and in efficient working order. First-aid material. 9. There shall be provided and maintained in such a place and position as to be readily accessible at any food premises suitable and sufficient bandages, dressings (including waterproof dressings) STANDARD MARK (SANITARY REQUIREMENTS) [ S.L.419.01 3 and antiseptics for first aid treatment. 10.

(1)Except where adequate provision is made elsewhere than in a food room, there shall be provided in the food premises suitable and sufficient cupboard or locker or accommodation for the clothing and footwear not worn during working hours of all persons engaged therein in the handling of food. Accommodation for clothing.

(2)The provision of sub-regulation

(1)shall not apply to food premises where no open food is handled. 11.

(1)There shall be provided and maintained in any food premises, in addition to the wash-hand basins provided for in regulation 8

(1), suitable and sufficient sinks or other similar facilities for the washing of food and equipment. Facilities for washing food and equipment.

(2)Every such sink or other similar facility shall be constantly provided with an adequate supply either of hot and cold water or of water at a controlled temperature and with adequate supplies of soap or other suitable detergent, of clean cloths and of other adequate and suitable cleaning and drying facilities.

(3)Every such sink or other similar facility and every trap and connection thereof shall be kept clean and in an efficient workorder.

(4)Nothing in the preceding sub-regulations shall apply to any food premises in which no open food is handled.

1. Every food room shall be suitably and sufficiently lighted. Lighting of food rooms.
2. Except in the case of a humidity controlled or temperature controlled chamber, there shall be provided and maintained in every food room suitable and sufficient means of ventilation. Ventilation of food rooms 14.

(1)No food room shall be used as sleeping place and no sleeping place shall be used as a food room. Food rooms and sleeping places.

(2)No food room which communicates directly with a sleeping place shall be used for the handling of open food.

1. The walls, floors, doors, windows, ceiling, woodwork and any other part of the structure and any food rooms shall be kept clean and in good state or repair and they shall be kept in such a condition as to enable them to be effectively cleaned and as to prevent any risk of infestation by rodents, insects or other animals so far as shall be reasonably practicable. Cleanliness and prevention of infestation of food rooms.
2. No refuse or filth, whether in solid or liquid form shall be deposited or allowed to accumulate in any food room, except so far as may be absolutely unavoidable for the proper carrying on of the relative trade or business. Accumulation of refuse, etc. 17.

(1)Saving the provision of subregulation

(2), any item of food consisting of meat, fish, gravy or imitation cream, or prepared from or containing any of these substances or any egg or milk, unless otherwise specified in any standard order made by the Authority, shall, while in any food premises, be brought without undue delay to a temperature below 30º Fahrenheit. Temperature at which certain food is to be brought. 4 [ S.L.419.01

(2)STANDARD MARK (SANITARY REQUIREMENTS) The provisions of subregulation

(1)shall not apply to (

1. a)bread, biscuits, cake or pastry by reason only of the use of eggs or milk as an ingredient thereof prior to baking; (
2. b)chocolate or sugar confectionery; (
3. c)food canned, bottled or otherwise preserved in an effectively closed container until it so remains effectively closed; (
4. d)butter, margarine, lard, shortening, cooking fats or beef suet; (
5. e)cheese, uncooked bacon, uncooked ham, dry pasta, dry pudding mixes, dry soup mixes or dry mixtures for the preparation of beverages; or (
6. f)Structural alterations to, or extensions of food rooms and adjoining ancillary premises. any unskinned rabbits or hares or unplucked game or poultry. 18.

(1)No food business shall be conducted in any food room when structural alterations, concreting, work on masonry or installation work of any type is being made in any adjoining ancillary premises.

(2)Any person who is licensed under the Act to use the standard mark shall inform in writing the Authority as to any proposed structural alterations or extensions of food rooms concerned in any way with the local goods in relation to which the licence shall have been granted.

(3)Any such structural alterations or extensions of food rooms shall be subject to all the conditions set out in these regulations and, before permission is granted by the Authority to resume the use of the standard mark, the Authority shall re-inspect the food room in question. Cleanliness of equipment and containers. 19.

(1)Any article of equipment with which food comes, or m ay come, into contact shall be kept clean and shall be so constructed, made of such material and kept in such good order, repair and condition as to enable it to be thoroughly cleaned and to prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, any matter from being absorbed by it and any risk of contamination of the food.

(2)Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-regulation

(1), all containers intended to contain food in the course of food business, whether they be returnable or not and whether they come into contact with food or not, shall, so far as reasonably practicable, be protected from contamination and kept free therefrom. Protection of food from risk of contamination. 20. Any person engaged in the handling of food shall, while so engaged in any food premises, take such steps as may be reasonably necessary to protect the food from any risk of contamination, and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing (

1. a)shall not place any food lower than forty-five point seven centimetres from the ground unless such food is STANDARD MARK (SANITARY REQUIREMENTS) [ S.L.419.01 5 adequately protected by other means from any risk of contamination; (
2. b)shall keep as clean as may be reasonably practicable all parts of his person, clothing, overclothing or overalls, which may be liable to come into contact with such food; (
3. c)shall keep covered with a suitable waterproof dressing any open cut or abrasion on any exposed part of his person; (
4. d)shall refrain from spitting; (
5. e)shall not make use of any tobacco or any other smoking mixture or snuff or any chewing gum while he is handling any open food or is in any food room in which there is any open food. 21.

(1)A person engaged in the handling of food shall not, while so engaged, carry any food in any vehicle or container along with any article from which there is a risk of contamination of the food, or with any live animal or live poultry without first taking all such precautions as are reasonably practicable to avoid risk of contamination. Carrying of food.

(2)Without prejudice to the generality of the provision of subregulation

(1), no person engaged in the handling of food shall, while so engaged, allow any live animal or live poultry to come into contact with meat or fish. 22.

(1)A person engaged in the handling of food shall not, while so engaged, use for wrapping or containing any open food any paper or other material which is not clean or which is liable to contaminate food. Wrapping, etc., of open food.

(2)Without prejudice to the generality of the provision of subregulation

(1), no person engaged in the handling of food shall, while so engaged, allow any printed material, other than printed material designed exclusively for wrapping or containing food, to come into contact with any food other than uncooked vegetable. 23. Where any person engaged in the handling of food becomes aware that he is suffering from, or is the carrier of, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever or any other salmonella infection or dysentery or any staphylococcal infection likely to cause food poisoning, he shall forthwith give notice of the fact to the person in charge of the food premises who shall, immediately on the receipt of such notice, notify the Chief Government Medical Officer accordingly: Persons suffering from certain infections. Provided that, where the person who is suffering from such an infection is himself the person carrying on the food business or is in charge of the food premises, he shall give notice of the fact to the Chief Government Medical Officer immediately. 24.

(1)No wrapping or packaging materials and no cartons or containers which come directly into contact with food shall be used if they are appreciably soluble in the food or if they impart to the Wrapping and packaging materials. 6 [ S.L.419.01 STANDARD MARK (SANITARY REQUIREMENTS) food significant or undesirable quantities of any constituents, components, or impregnated substances, whether toxic or not.

(2)No food shall be soluble in any of the wrapping or packaging materials or in the cartons or containers in which it is stored. Printing and dyes.

1. When use is made of coloured or printed wrappers, labels, cartons or containers which come directly into contact with food, no visible colouring matter or printing material shall become transferred to the food during storage. Canned goods.
2. When lacquered cans are used as containers for any food, no visible quantity of lacquer shall flake off and become associated with the contents of the can.