Minimum Requirements for Food

and Beverage EstablishmentsThis module is based on the North Dakota building, fire, plumbing and

electrical codes

2014

Module designed by Tera Sandvik, LRD, Program Coordinator and Julie Garden-Robinson, PhD, LRD, Food and Nutrition Specialist; Module updated May 2014 by Kim Beauchamp, Food safety/Food Entrepreneur Specialist.

The following tips will help you navigate through each module. Click the left mouse button or the down

arrow to continue on to the next bullet or slide.

Before you begin you’ll take a presurvey. The presurvey will open in a new window. When you are finished with the presurvey close the

window to return to the module.

A symbolizes a question slide. You’ll need to click your mouse once to see the answer.

A means you’ll need to go to the Web site listed to answer the question. After visiting the site, close the Internet browser to

return to the module. Click your mouse once to see the answer.

When you are finished with the module, you will take a post-survey. The post-survey will open in a new window. When you are finished with the post-survey, close the

window to return to the module.

Have you thought of opening a food and beverage establishment, but don’t know where to start?

By the end of this module, you will have a general knowledge of the minimum construction and equipment requirements to get you on your way.

Presurvey

Before we begin, let’s take a presurvey to see how much you already know.

Click here to begin the presurvey.

Flooring Requirements Use smooth, nonabsorbent, durable and easily

cleanable material: Where food is prepared Where utensils are washed Where garbage is stored

Some approved materials: Sealed concrete Terrazzo Ceramic tile Quarry tile Durable linoleum

Provide coved baseboards of similar material at wall and floor junctures

Carpet is prohibited in the above areas

Flooring Cont.

Provide trapped floor drains on floors that you spray with water for cleaning or where pressure spray methods are used to clean equipment.

The Food Code prohibits floor drains connecting directly to the sewer system.

Now that you have the ground covered, let’s move up to the ceilings and walls

Examples of approved material for walls and ceilings:

Concrete Sealed and finished pumice

blocks Ceramic tiles Fiberglass-reinforced panels Stainless steel

Approved material is required:

Where food is prepared or stored

Where utensils are washed In walk-in freezers and

refrigerators Where garbage is stored In restrooms and

dressing/locker rooms

Pegboard for wall material and acoustical tile for ceiling material is prohibited in the areas mentioned above

Pegboard for wall material and acoustical tile for ceiling material is prohibited in the areas mentioned above

Lighting Requirements Use foot-candles to measure light. One foot-candle equals 1 lumen on 1

square foot of space. A 40-watt fluorescent light equals 3,150

lumens. Formula:

Fixtures required =foot-candles required x area of space in square feet

lumens per fixture x 0.65 x 0.75

Example Square feet = 600 Foot-candles required = 20 Fixture contains two 40-watt fluorescent

lights Lumens = 2 x 40 x 78.75 = 6,300 Fixtures = 20 foot-candles x 600 square feet

6300 lumens x 0.65 x 0.75= 3.9

For this room, four fixtures with two 40-wattlights are required.

Try this one on your own Square feet = 900 Foot-candles required = 10 Fixture contains two 40-watt fluorescent lights Lumens = 2 x 40 x 78.75 = 6,300 Fixtures = Click to see the answer.

Fixtures = 10 foot-candles x 900 square feet 6,300 x .65 x .75

Fixtures = 2.9For this room, three fixtures with two 40-watt lights are required.

Lighting Requirements

Provide protective shielding or shatterproof bulbs for all artificial lighting over, by or in: Food storage areas Food preparation areas Service and display areas Areas where you clean or store utensils and

equipment

Ventilation System

Even though your kitchen will be filled with great aromas from delicious foods you are preparing, we need to talk about ventilation systems to help keep the air circulating.

Ventilation Systems

The following devices should have hoods and a properly installed exhaust ventilation system to vent air to the outside: Ranges Deep-fat fryers Grills Broilers

The exhaust system must have adequate grease filters or other means of grease extraction.

What is small and furry, has beady eyes and could make your business fail if caught scurrying around your establishment?

If you guessed mice and other rodents, give yourself a pat on the back

Pest Control

Keep Pests Out Protect openings leading outside

Outer doors should be tight-fitting and self-closing

Screens should be tight-fitting and free of tears Use 16 mesh per square inch

Close drive-through windows when not in use.

One of these three kitchens is pest free. Do you know which one it is?

•The lower left kitchen has flies, mice and a cat.

•The lower right kitchen has mice on the countertop and a cat lurking in the background.

•The top kitchen is pest-free.

•Keep pets and pests out of the kitchen at all times.

Click to see.

Keep your sanity while keeping your facility sanitary.

Water and Sewage Disposal

Connect to a municipal water/sewer system If a municipal system is not in place, a private system

must be approved by the state Department of Health.

Provide pressurized water to all fixtures and equipment using water.

Provide enough garbage containers.

Store garbage outside in large, metal trash bins or in cans elevated 12 inches above a smooth, nonabsorbent surface, such as concrete or asphalt.

Restroom Requirements Installation must comply with state codes.

No more than half of the toilets in men’s restrooms may be urinals.

Additional toilets are required when seating more than 50.

They must accommodate the disabled.

Separate restrooms may be required for employees, depending on the number of employees.

They must be conveniently located.

They must be completely enclosed and equipped with tight-fitting, self-closing, solid doors.

Restroom Requirements Cont. Toilets must be of the elongated bowl type with

an open front seat.

Restrooms must: be equipped with mechanical ventilation provide easily cleanable waste containers for waste

materials have at least one covered waste container if it is a

women’s restroom provide hand soap, a supply of sanitary towels or a

hand-drying device and toilet tissue at all times have an adequate number of hand sinks with hot and

cold running water, under pressure, tempered by a mixing valve or combination faucet and an open strainer

Sink pop-up plugs or steam-mixing valves are prohibited.

The following picture has three things wrong with it. Can you tell what they are?

Bathrooms should be stocked with disposable paper towels, soap and tissue paper. Toilets must be of the elongated bowl type with an open front seat.

Click to see.

Do I need a dressing room? If employees routinely change clothes in the

establishment, you must provide a dressing room.

You also must have lockers or other suitable facilities to store personal belongings.

Using the kitchen to store personal articles, such as coats, clothing and purses, is prohibited.

What to do about that dirty laundry?

If you need to wash linens, wiping cloths, uniforms or aprons, you must have and use a dryer. You should have it in a separate room with a self-closing

solid door.

Another option is to put the washer (not required) and dryer (required) in a storage area that contains only packaged food or packaged single-service articles.

Laundry facilities in food preparation and utensil-washing areas are prohibited.

Now that we’ve covered the floors, walls, ceilings,

bathrooms, etc., let’s move on to the kitchen.

Provide protective storage for kitchenware, tableware and utensils. Pegboard for hanging utensils is prohibited.

Storage shelves must be at least 6 inches above the floor.

Sealed wood is acceptable for nonfood contact storage. Health and food safety officials recommend stainless

steel or the equivalent.

Raw wood or contact paper-lined shelving is prohibited.

Which of the following is the minimum height acceptable for shelves above the floor?

Click to see the answer.

Hot and cold storage facilities should be conveniently located to help maintain the proper food temperatures at all times. Consider your: Storage Service Display Transport

Use NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) commercially approved equipment.

Each freezer or refrigerator must have a numerically scaled thermometer that shows the accurate temperature of the freezer or refrigerator.

Provide separate storage areas for maintenance equipment, such as brooms, mops and vacuum cleaners. Store this equipment so it does not contaminate food,

utensils, equipment or linens.

Provide a storage area for toxic materials, such as insecticides, rodenticides, cleaners and polishes. You cannot store these toxic materials with food

products, equipment or utensils.

What brand of equipment you use in your kitchen can vary,

but you should use NSF commercially approved

equipment.

Food Contact Surfaces

Equipment, kitchenware, utensils and tableware should be easy to clean and durable with normal use.

Hard maple may be used for cutting blocks, cutting boards, salad bowls, baker’s tables and various single-service articles.

In all other situations, wood as a food contact surface is prohibited. Laminated plastic construction for work tabletops is

acceptable; however, stainless steel is recommended.

Now that you’ve got the proper equipment, where do you store it?

You cannot store equipment under exposed or unprotected sewer or water lines, open stairwells or other sources of contamination.

Install all equipment to facilitate cleaning.

Table-mounted equipment must be portable, sealed in place or elevated on legs at least 4 inches above the counter.

Floor-mounted equipment must be moveable, sealed to the floor or elevated on legs at least 6 inches above the floor.

Are you going to have a salad bar or another type of self-

service food area? Read on to learn what you need to know.

Salad Bar

Cold holding areas should maintain proper refrigerator temperatures and drain to a floor drain through an air gap.

All customer self-service food areas must have an approved cough and sneeze guard. All food, plates, utensils, etc., also must be protected

by a cough and sneeze guard or other approved method.

Now that you’ve got your kitchen setup ready to serve, how do you keep all your dishes clean?

Dish sinks

Provide a three-compartment sink with drainboards on each end. A moveable dish table may be substituted for one

drainboard.

Dish sinks may not be used for food preparation or mop water disposal. One utility sink (mop sink) or curbed unit with floor drain

must be provided.

Sinks Each compartment of the sink must have

potable hot and cold running water under pressure.

The sink compartments must be large enough to accommodate the largest cooking utensil.

Dishwashing Machines

Dishwashing machines are optional.

Dishwashing machines must be an approved commercial type installed in compliance with your state’s plumbing code.

They should be hooded to adequately exhaust condensation.

If you install a hot water temperature dishwashing machine, you need a properly sized booster heater.

If you use chemical sanitizers, you need an appropriate test kit.

Now that we’ve got our hands dirty, let’s talk about hand-

washing facilities.

Hand sinks One hand sink is required. Hand washing is not

allowed in sinks used for food preparation or the washing of equipment.

You may be required to have more than one employee hand sink, depending on the size and layout of the establishment.

Hand sinks must have hot and cold running water, under pressure, tempered with a mixing valve or combination faucet and an open strainer.

Sink pop-up waste plugs or steam- mixing valves are prohibited.

Hand washing

You should provide a supply of hand-cleansing soap or detergent.

You must have sanitary towels or a hand-drying device conveniently located near each hand sink at all times.

The use of common towels is prohibited.

Thermometers, coolers, etc. Provide and use at least one metal-stemmed

thermometer to monitor the temperatures of potentially hazardous food products during storage, preparation, cooking, holding and serving or when on display.

Install all bar equipment to facilitate cleaning.

Provide a mechanical glass washer or a three- compartment sink with integral drain boards.

Provide a separate hand-washing sink in each back-bar area.

Provide adequately sized coolers.

Beverage Safety Do not have liquor- or pop-dispensing guns above

potable ice or clean glass storage areas.

Store ice for consumption separately from ice used for cooling purposes. Store ice for human consumption in a container or ice bin

that is drained to the sewage system through an air gap.

Provide a soda syrup storage area. Store the containers on a metal rack at least 6 inches off

the floor.

Establishments that dispense frozen desserts (bulk ice cream, etc.) must provide a running-water dipper well near the ice cream freezer.

Post-Survey Let’s see what you’ve learned. Click here to begin the post-survey.

Learn more about food and beverage establishment requirements with the following on-line resources.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/food/food-entrepreneurship/food-safety-quality-control

http://www.health.state.nd.us/FoodLodging/PDF/North%20Dakota%20Food%20Code%202003.pdf

NDSU is an equal opportunity institution.