Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-4-1602

Current through 11/5/2024 election

Section 25-4-1602 - Definitions

As used in this part 16, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Automated food merchandising enterprise" means the collective activity of the supplying or preparing of food or drink for automated food merchandising machines.

(2) "Certificate of license" means a grant to operate a retail food establishment without a fee, under the conditions set forth in section 25-4-1607 (9).

(2.5) "County or district public health agency" means a county or district health department or a county or municipal board of health.

(3) "Department" means the department of public health and environment, and its authorized employees.

(4) "Food" means any raw, cooked, or processed edible substance, ice, beverage, or ingredient used or intended for use or for sale in whole or in part for human consumption.

(5) "Fund" means the food protection cash fund created in section 25-4-1608.

(6) "HACCP plan" means a written document setting forth the formal procedures for following hazard analysis critical control point principles.

(6.5)

(a) "Imminent health hazard" means a significant threat or danger to health that is considered to exist when there is evidence sufficient to show that a product, practice, circumstance, or event creates a situation that requires immediate correction or cessation of operation to prevent injury or illness based on the number of potential injuries or illnesses and the nature, severity, and duration of the anticipated injury or illness.

(b) "Imminent health hazard" includes an emergency such as a fire, flood, extended interruption of electrical or water service, sewage backup, misuse of poisonous or toxic materials, onset of an apparent food-borne illness outbreak, grossly unsanitary occurrence or condition, or other circumstance that may endanger public health.

(7) "Inspection" means an inspection of a retail food establishment conducted by the department or a county or district board of health to ensure compliance by such establishment with rules promulgated by the department pursuant to this part 16.

(8) "License" means a grant to a licensee to operate a retail food establishment.

(9) "Licensee" means a person that is licensed or who holds a certificate of license pursuant to this part 16 and is responsible for the lawful operation of a retail food establishment.

(10) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2009, (SB 09-223), ch. 1151, p. 1151, § 2, effective May 15, 2009.)

(11) "Modified atmosphere packaging" means the reduction of the amount of oxygen in a package by mechanically evacuating the oxygen, displacing the oxygen with another gas or combination of gases, or otherwise controlling the oxygen content to a level below that normally found in the surrounding atmosphere, which is twenty-one percent oxygen.

(12) "Nonpotentially hazardous" means any food or beverage that, when stored under normal conditions without refrigeration, will not support the rapid and progressive growth of microorganisms that cause food infections or food intoxications.

(13) "Person" means a natural person, partnership, association, company, corporation, or organization or a manager, agent, servant, officer, or employee of any of such entities.

(14) "Retail food establishment" means a retail operation that stores, prepares, or packages food for human consumption or serves or otherwise provides food for human consumption to consumers directly or indirectly through a delivery service, whether such food is consumed on or off the premises or whether there is a charge for such food. "Retail food establishment" does not mean:

(a) Any private home;

(b) Private boarding houses;

(c) Hospital and health facility patient feeding operations licensed by the department;

(d) Child care centers and other child care facilities licensed by the department of human services;

(e) Hunting camps and other outdoor recreation locations where food is prepared in the field rather than at a fixed base of operation;

(f) Food or beverage wholesale manufacturing, processing, or packaging plants, or portions thereof, that are subject to regulatory controls under state or federal laws or regulations;

(g) Motor vehicles used only for the transport of food;

(h) Establishments preparing and serving only hot coffee, hot tea, instant hot beverages, and nonpotentially hazardous doughnuts or pastries obtained from sources complying with all laws related to food and food labeling;

(i) Establishments that handle only nonpotentially hazardous prepackaged food and operations serving only commercially prepared, prepackaged foods requiring no preparation other than the heating of food within its original container or package;

(j) Farmers markets and roadside markets that offer only uncut fresh fruit and vegetables for sale;

(k) Automated food merchandising enterprises that supply only prepackaged nonpotentially hazardous food or drink or food or drink in bottles, cans, or cartons only, and operations that dispense only chewing gum or salted nuts in their natural protective covering;

(l) The donation, preparation, sale, or service of food by a nonprofit or charitable organization in conjunction with an event or celebration if such donation, preparation, sale, or service of food:

(I) Does not exceed the duration of the event or celebration or a maximum of fifty-two days within a calendar year; and

(II) Takes place in the county in which such nonprofit or charitable organization resides or is principally located.

(m) A home, commercial, private, or public kitchen in which a person produces food products sold directly to consumers pursuant to the "Colorado Cottage Foods Act", section 25-4-1614.

(15) "Safe food" means food that does not contain any poisonous, deleterious, or disease-causing substance or microorganisms that may render such food injurious to human health.

(16) "Special event" means an organized event or celebration at which retail food establishments prepare, serve, or otherwise provide food for human consumption.

(17) "Uniform statewide administration, implementation, interpretation, and enforcement" means the application of the rules adopted by the state board of health and the policy guidance of the department by state and county or district public health agencies responsible for implementation of the rules and policies. The uniform application shall not preclude county or district public health agencies from implementing administrative efficiencies or practices if the practices do not conflict with the state board of health rules or department policies.

C.R.S. § 25-4-1602

Amended by 2019 Ch. 11, § 1, eff. 1/1/2020.

L. 98: Entire part R&RE, p. 1245, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2009: (2.5) and (17) added and (7) and (10) amended, (SB 09-223), ch. 1151, p. 1151, § 2, effective May 15. L. 2010: (2.5) amended, (HB 10-1422), ch. 2101, p. 2101, § 110, effective August 11. L. 2012: (14)(m) added, (SB 12 -048), ch. 41, p. 41, § 4, effective March 15; (6.5) added, (HB 12 -1097), ch. 259, p. 259, § 1, effective April 6. L. 2019: (6.5) amended, (HB 19 -1014), ch. 42, p. 42, § 1, effective 1/1/2020.

This section is similar to former § 25-4-1602 as it existed prior to 1998.

For the legislative declaration in the 2012 act adding subsection (14)(m), see section 1 of chapter 16, Session Laws of Colorado 2012.