Guidelines
for Retail Food Service Establishments
During Boil Water Orders and Advisories
In general, a
Boil Water Order or Advisory means all water to be used for cooking or drinking
must be brought to a rolling boil for at least five minutes prior to use.
The following list outlines some of those points of use as well as some helpful
hints:
- All water used as an
ingredient in any food products.
(ie. salads, puddings, dressings, drinks, condiments, sauces, etc.) - All water used to wash
or rinse food products. - All water used for
drinking. As a
safeguard, it is best to buy bottled water to dispense for drinking. (If you
are going to use boiled water for drinking, the taste may be improved by
transferring the boiled water from container to container to aerate it.) - All water added to
drink/tea/coffee/soda/carbonated beverage
machines.
Once again, it is best to buy prepackaged products for dispensing. Keep in
mind this also applies to dispenser “guns’ in bar facilities - All water used to make
consumable ice or ice
products. If
you cannot boil the water used for making ice, it is best to buy bagged ice
from an approved source/supplier. - All water used for hand
washing should be boiled prior to use or a bottled product should be used. ** - NOTE: If heat is used
as the sanitizing agent for dishes, equipment and utensils, you must ensure
the final rinse water temperature reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Otherwise, you can fill the compartment of a three compartment sink with
boiled water and use a chemical sanitization process.
** (Single-use ,
disposable dishware and utensils may also be utilized.) - NOTE: Water filtering
units may not remove all of the contaminants that the Boil Water Order of
Advisory may be targeting. **
**Since it is not always
evident what type of contamination (if any) is being dealt with during a boil
order or advisory, some of the practices suggested herein are preventative
measures to ensure food safety.
If, during a Boil
Water Order or Advisory, you have further questions, please call the Fort
Wayne-Allen County Department of Health during regular business hours
(8:00 AM – 4:30 PM) at (260)
449-7561.
After hours, if there is an emergency, please call the county dispatcher (260)
449-7661 and ask them
to page a representative from our department.