Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No. 54 of 1972RegulationsRegulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises and the Transport of Food5. Standards and requirements for food premises |
| (1) | Subject to Regulation 14, no person shall handle food elsewhere than on food premises that meet the requirements of this Regulations and Regulation 6. |
| (2) | A food premises shall be of such location, design, construction and finish and shall be so equipped and maintained in the condition for which it was intended, that it can be used at all times for the purpose for which it was designed, constructed and equipped - without creating a health hazard and that food— |
| (a) | can be handled hygienically on the food premises and facilities thereon; and |
| (b) | can be protected effectively by the best available method against contamination or spoilage by poisonous or offensive gases, vapors, odors, smoke, soot deposits, dust, moisture, insects or other vectors, or by any other physical, chemical (including allergens) or biological contamination or pollution or by any other agent whatsoever. |
| (3) | For the purposes of Subregulation (2) food premises shall meet the following requirements: |
| (a) | All interior surfaces of walls, sides or ceilings, or of roofs without ceilings, and the surfaces of floors, or any other similar horizontal or vertical surfaces that form part of or enclose the food-handling area shall— |
| (i) | have no open joints or open seams and shall be made of smooth, rust-free, non-toxic, cleanable and non-absorbent material that is dust-proof and water-resistant: Provided that in a food-serving or storage area— |
| (aa) | facebrick; |
| (bb) | similar walls the joints of which are formed properly or are so formed and finished that they are easy to clean; or |
| (cc) | decorative wall or ceiling finishes which are easy to clean, may be used; |
| (ii) | be of such a nature that they cannot contaminate or contribute to the contamination of food. |
| (b) | Each room of a food premises shall be— |
| (i) | ventilated effectively by means of— |
| (aa) | natural ventilation through openings or openable sections which are directly connected to the outside air and so positioned in the external walls and/or roof that effective cross-ventilation is possible: Provided that such openings shall have a surface area equal to at least 5% of the floor area of the room concerned; or |
| (bb) | artificial ventilation that complies with the requirements of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, 1977 (Act No. 103 of 1977), whichever of the two methods will facilitate the addition of adequate fresh air to and the effective removal of polluted or stale air from the food premises to the extent that air contaminants that could contaminate food, and that gas, vapors, steam and warm air that may arise during the handling of food are effectively removed, and that the emergence of any unhygienic or unhealthy condition on the food premises is prevented; |
| (ii) | illuminated by means of— |
| (aa) | unobstructed transparent surfaces in the external walls and/or roof which admit daylight, with an area equal to at least 10% of the floor area in the room concerned; or |
| (bb) | artificial illumination which complies with the requirements of the National Building Regulations and the Building Standards Act, 1977, and which permits an illumination strength equal to at least 200 lux; provided that the intensity of the lighting should be adequate based on the nature of the operation and lighting fixtures are appropriately protected to prevent glass contamination of food. |
| (c) | Food premises shall— |
| (i) | have a wash-up facility with hot and cold water for the cleaning of facilities; |
| (ii) | be bird and rodent proof in accordance with the best available method; |
| (iii) | be provided with effective means of controlling and preventing access of flies, cockroaches, or other insects; |
| (iv) | have a waste-water disposal system approved by the local authority. |
| (d) | The following shall be available in respect of food premises: |
| (i) | The number of latrines, urinal stalls and hand washbasins specified in Annexure D to these Regulations for the use of workers on the food premises and for use by persons to whom food is served for consumption on the food premises: Provided that separate sanitary facilities for workers and clients shall not be required: Provided further that where persons of only one sex or no more than ten persons work on food premises, separate sanitary facilities shall not be required for workers of different sexes; |
| (ii) | hand-washing facilities which shall be provided with cold and/or hot water for the washing of hands by workers on the food premises and by persons to whom food is served for consumption on the food premises, together with a supply of soap (or other cleaning agents) and clean disposable hand-drying material or other hand-cleaning facilities or hand-drying equipment for the cleansing and drying of hands by such workers and persons; |
| (iii) | liquid proof, easy-to-clean refuse containers with close-fitting lids suitable for the hygienic storage of refuse pending its removal from the food-handling area; |
| (iv) | storage space for the hygienic storage of food, facilities and equipment and a suitable separate area for the hygienic storage of refuse containers on the food premises; |
| (v) | a separate changing area with storage facilities for clothes of workers; |
| (vi) | an adequate supply of water. |
| (e) | No room in which food is handled shall have a direct connection with any area— |
| (i) | in which gas, fumes, dust, soot deposits, offensive odors or any other impurity is present or may arise in such a manner that food in the food-handling room could be contaminated or spoilt; |
| (ii) | in which an act is performed in any manner or where any condition exists that could contaminate or spoil food in the food handling area; |
| (f) | A room in which food is handled may be connected to a changing room or a room in which a latrine or urinal is situated— |
| (i) | only via a properly ventilated lobby: Provided that all relevant inter-connecting doors shall cover the whole area of their apertures: Provided further that they shall be equipped with durable self-closing devices; or |
| (ii) | without such a lobby between them: Provided that the connecting aperture shall have a self-closing door as contemplated in item (i): Provided further that the latrine or urinal room shall be equipped with effective mechanical extraction ventilation to the outside air to render the atmosphere inside such room under a negative pressure in relation to the atmosphere in the food-handling room. |