Chapter 7.08 FOOD HANDLING*

A. “Food handling establishment” means and includes any restaurant, itinerant restaurant, coffee shop, cafeteria, short-order cafe, luncheonette, tavern, sandwich stand, soda fountain, delicatessen, bakery, grocery, confectionery, meat market, and any other establishment which manufactures, processes, caters, stores, displays, sells or offers for sale to the public, food or drink, wholesale or retail, simple or compound, as well as rooms in which food or drink is prepared for sale or distribution elsewhere.
B. “Health officer” means the health officer of the county of Madera. (Ord. 259 § 1, 1961).

Each food handling establishment shall obtain a permit from the health officer. An application for said permit, upon a form to be provided by the health officer, shall be filed by each food handling establishment with the health officer.
The health officer thereupon shall issue to each applicant a permit provided that satisfactory proof is presented to said health officer that each owner, operator, manager and employee, or any other person handling or dispensing food, of the food handling establishment has issued to him or to her a registration card as provided by this chapter.
All permits shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of issuance thereof, unless the same is sooner suspended or revoked, as herein provided. (Ord. 259 § 2, 1961).

It is unlawful for any owner, operator, manager, employee, or other person, of any food handling establishment to work or to employ personnel in such food handling establishment until such person has been registered with and has been approved by the health officer. Such registration shall be initiated as follows: It shall be the duty of every operator, manager or employee, before he is employed in any food handling establishment, or within seven days thereafter, and annually thereafter, to register with the health officer and apply for a registration card. The issuance of the registration card to a person shall be deemed the approval of the health officer to the person to work in the food handling establishment. (Ord. 259 § 3(part), 1961).

Each person applying for the registration card shall give accurate and verified information concerning his health and shall be required to submit to the necessary testing and examinations currently established by the health department. The health department shall issue a permit only after proper medical clearance has been ascertained. (Ord. 259-A § 1, 1972: Ord. 259 § 3 (part), 1961).

It is unlawful for any owner, operator, manager, employee, or other person to work in any food handling establishment when the registration card issued to him has been revoked or suspended by the health officer.
Upon revocation or suspension of any registration card by the health officer, the employee or food handling establishment adversely affected may demand a hearing before the health officer which hearing shall be set by the health officer not later than thirty days after the demand therefor has been filed by said person or food handling establishment. The decision of the health officer may be reviewed by the board of supervisors, upon its own motion or upon the request of any interested person in connection with said proceeding. (Ord. 259 § 4, 1961).

Nothing in this chapter to the contrary, the provisions herein shall not apply to persons employed or engaged to serve food for governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, clubs or other charitable associations, except a professional catering service. The primary measurement is whether persons, organizations or associations serve or handle food as a gainful employment. (Ord. 259 § 5, 1961).