Washtenaw County Health Department Rules and Regulations

Click here to download cooks application.

These rules are to be followed by chili cooks to comply with Washtenaw County and State of Michigan health standards.

A Temporary food service license will be required to be taken out by the organization sponsoring the event.
An inspection will be conducted to determine compliance. (See Temporary Food Establishment Operations Checklist Michigan Food Law of 2000).

GENERAL RULES

1. Each cook’s area is considered a separate kitchen and must be maintained as one (clean and neat).
2. Public must remain on opposite side of barrier.
3. All persons handling food shall have clean outer garments and wear effective hair restraints. (i.e., tied back, baseball cap, headband, hairnet, etc.).Smoking, eating, and drinking are not allowed in the food preparation and service areas.
4. Hands must be washed before handling utensils, pots or food. Each cook must provide, as part of their equipment, a sufficient quantity of chemically treated towelettes for cleaning hands.
5. NO BARE HAND CONTACT WITH READY-TO-EAT FOOD: People working with food that is not going to be thoroughly cooked may not touch that food with their bare hands. Use gloves or suitable utensils, such as spoons, spatulas, tongs, or deli tissue. Examples of ready to eat food include: slicing onions for “topping off” chili, sprinkling finished chili with cheddar cheese, onions, etc.
6. Enamelware pans will not be permitted for cooking or storage, unless an aluminum or stainless steel pan insert is used. Aluminum foil cannot be used as a liner.
7. Cutting boards shall be hard maple or NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved plastic, free from deep gouges or cracks. Cutting boards must be washed and sanitized prior to use.
8. Food Sources:
A. All meat and food products must be purchased from a commercial source.
B. No homemade or home canned food is allowed.
C. Commercially canned or packaged food must remain unopened and in its original container until the start up of preparation at the cook-off site.
D. All original food containers and wrappers must be kept in your area until initial inspection by health official is conducted.
9. All fresh vegetables must be washed before slicing. All vegetable preparation must be done at the chili cook-off site.

8. MEAT PRODUCTS
A. Must be sealed in original container.
B. Bring the package label to the site.
C. Meat must be purchased in Michigan.
D. A sales receipt stating purchase place, type of product and quantity of your meat must be brought to the cook-off site.
E. All meat must be USDA inspected.
F. Wild game is not allowed.
9. All meat products must be stored and transported at the temperature of 41ºF or below.
10. Upon arrival, sales receipts and food will be checked. Food must be in original package unopened, and the temperature of meat must be 41ºF or less.
11. All cooking utensils, cutting boards, pots and pans, etc., must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before you use them. Facilities for this purpose will be provided in the kitchen at the cook-off site.
12. Chili is the only food to be served to the public by cooks.
13. Ground meats (hamburger) must be cooked to a minimum temperature of 155ºF. Ground turkey, etc., to 165ºF.
14. After cooking, the chili must be held hot at a minimum temperature of 140ºF.
15. Cooks are not to taste chili with the cooking spoon. For tasting, a disposable spoon must be used and the chili must be placed in a separate disposable cup or bowl which is discarded after each use.
16. When serving your chili, only cooks may serve to the public. Bowls must be inverted for easy sanitary grasping and spoons must be removed from container by the handle or pre-packaged spoons provided.
17. You must provide at least one roll of dry paper towels for spills.
18. A metal stem thermometer with a range of 0º to 220ºF must be provided and used to check temperatures.
19. When manually washing and sanitizing equipment, the three compartment sink must be operated in the following manner:
A) 1st compartment - wash with detergent
B) 2nd compartment – clear water rinse
C) 3rd compartment – final rinse with sanitizer (chlorine bleach) at 50 ppm concentration (1/2 teaspoon bleach to each gallon of water)
Immerse all items in 3rd compartment for one minute and allow them to air dry.
If you have any questions, contact the Washtenaw County Environmental Health Division at 734-222-3800

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