NDAC 33-33-03-01
Definitions
Cite as N.D. Admin. Code ยง 33-33-03-01
The following definitions apply in the interpretation and the enforcement of this chapter.
1.
"Adulterated" means the condition of a food (a) if it bears or contains any poisonous or
deleterious substance in a quantity which may render it injurious to health; (b) if it bears or
contains any added poisonous or deleterious substance for which no safe tolerance has been
established by rule, or in excess of such tolerance if one has been established; (c) if it
consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance, or if it is otherwise
unfit for human consumption; (d) if it has been processed, prepared, packed, or held under
unsanitary conditions, whereby it may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby it may
have been rendered injurious to health; or (e) if its container is composed in whole or in part of
any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render the contents injurious to health.
2.
"Approved" means acceptable to the department based on a determination as to conformance
with appropriate standards and good public health practice.
3.
"Closed" means fitted together snugly leaving no openings large enough to permit the
entrance of vermin.
4.
"Commissary" means catering establishment, restaurant, or any other place in which food,
containers, or supplies are kept, handled, prepared, packaged, or stored, and directly from
which vending machines are serviced.
5.
"Corrosion-resistant material" means a material which maintains its original surface
characteristics under prolonged influence of the food, cleaning compounds, and sanitizing
solutions which may contact it.
6.
"Department" means the department of health and human services.
7.
"Easily cleanable" means readily accessible and of such material and finish, and so fabricated
that residue may be completely removed by normal cleaning methods.
8.
"Employee" means any operator or any person employed by the operator who handles any
food to be dispensed through vending machines, or who comes into contact with food-contact
surfaces of containers, equipment, utensils, or packaging materials, used in connection with
vending machine operations, or who otherwise services or maintains one or more such
machines.
9.
"Food" means any raw, cooked, processed edible substance, or combination of substances,
beverage, or ingredient used or intended for use or for sale in whole or in part for human
consumption.
10.
"Food-contact surfaces" means surfaces of equipment and utensils with which food normally
comes in direct contact, and surfaces with which food may come in contact and drain back
onto surfaces normally in contact with food.
11.
"Machine location" means the room, enclosure, space, or area where one or more vending
machines are installed and operated.
12.
"Misbranded" means the presence of any written, printed, or graphic matter, upon or
accompanying food or containers of food, including signs or placards displayed in relation to
such products, which is false or misleading, or which violates any applicable state or local
labeling requirements.
13.
"Operator" means any person who by contract, agreement, or ownership takes responsibility
for furnishing, installing, servicing, operating, or maintaining one or more vending machines,
or provides space for vending machines.
14.
"Perishable food" means any food of such type or in such condition as may spoil.
15.
"Person" means an individual, or a firm, partnership, company, corporation, trustee,
association, or any public or private entity.
16.
."Safe temperature" as applied to time and temperature control for safety food, means
temperatures of forty-one degrees Fahrenheit [5.0 degrees Celsius] or below, or one hundred
thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit [57.22 degrees Celsius] or above.
17.
"Sanitize" means effective bactericidal treatment of clean surfaces of equipment and utensils
by a process which has been approved by the department as being effective in destroying
micro-organisms, including pathogens.
18.
"Single-service articles" means cups, containers, lids or closures, plates, knives, forks,
spoons, stirrers, paddles; straws, place mats, napkins, doilies, wrapping materials; and all
similar articles which are constructed wholly or in part from paper, paperboard, molded pulp,
foil, wood, plastic synthetic, or readily destructible materials, and which are intended for one
usage only, then to be discarded.
19.
"Time and temperature control for safety food" means a food that requires time and
temperature control for safety to limit pathogenic microorganisms growth or toxin formation.
20.
"Vending machine" means any self-service device which upon insertion of a coin, coins, bills,
tokens, or an electronic payment method, dispenses food without the necessity of replenishing
the device between each vending operation. The term also includes all freezers, refrigerators,
and ovens used to store or prepare prepackaged, preserved foods regardless of the manner
in which the food is taken from the freezer, refrigerator, or oven. Excluded from the definition
of food vending machines are bottled or canned non-time and temperature control for safety
food soft drink dispensers; prepackaged ice dispensers and freezers; prepackaged candy,
cookie, cracker, or similar non-time and temperature control for safety food dispensers; and
gumball, nut, and panned candy dispensers.