Food service establishments are currently classified according to Section 19-13-B42(s)(3) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. Public Act 17-93 includes new definitions for classifying retail food establishments that will now include food stores in addition to food service establishments. The new definitions are:
“Class 1 food establishment” means a food establishment that only offers for retail sale (A) prepackaged food that is not time or temperature controlled for safety, (B) commercially processed food that (i) is time or temperature controlled for safety and heated for hot holding, but (ii) is not permitted to be cooled, or (C) food prepared in the establishment that is not time or temperature controlled for safety;
“Class 2 food establishment” means a retail food establishment that does not serve a population that is highly susceptible to food-borne illnesses and offers a limited menu of food that is prepared, cooked and served immediately, or that prepares and cooks food that is time or temperature controlled for safety and may require hot or cold holding, but that does not involve cooling;
“Class 3 food establishment” means a retail food establishment that (A) does not serve a population that is highly susceptible to food-borne illnesses, and (B) has an extensive menu of foods, many of which are time or temperature controlled for safety and require complex preparation, including, but not limited to, handling of raw ingredients, cooking, cooling and reheating for hot holding;
“Class 4 food establishment” means a retail food establishment that serves a population that is highly susceptible to food-borne illnesses, including, but not limited to, preschool students, hospital patients and nursing home patients or residents, or that conducts specialized food processes, including, but not limited to, smoking, curing or reduced oxygen packaging for the purposes of extending the shelf life of the food;