Safe Water and Your Foodservice Operation

For a foodservice operation to successfully provide safe food, there must be a constant supply of potable water. Potable water is water that is safe to drink. In a foodservice operation, potable water is used:

• When washing fresh fruits and vegetables
• As an ingredient in recipes
• For cleaning and sanitizing food preparation areas
• For cleaning all dishes and utensils
• For general cleaning of other surfaces
• At handwashing stations

If at any point in performing these tasks, unclean water is used, the safety of food in your facility is then compromised.

Typical sit-down restaurants use between 3,000 to 7,000 gallons of water a day to run effectively and efficiently. With this high volume of water running through operations daily, it is crucial that the right plumbing devices are installed and maintained by a licensed/certified plumber.

One of the greatest safety risks to water in an establishment is the creation of cross connections. A cross-connection is a direct link between safe and unsafe water and can pose a threat to the ability of your operation to perform daily tasks. Allowing the tip of a hose to drop below the water level when filling a mop bucket or submerging the nozzle of a sprayer hose while filling a sink with water are great examples of a cross-connection.

Cross-connections are dangerous because they create an opportunity for backflow. Backflow occurs when contaminants from "dirty" water flow back into the stream of safe water, making it unsafe to use. One of the ways backflow occurs is through the phenomenon of backsiphonage. Backsiphonage is when a vacuum is created in the system and a change in pressure causes contaminants to be sucked back into the flow of safe water. To prevent this from happening, Food Code regulations require vacuum breakers to be installed by licensed/certified plumbers. A vacuum breaker will seal the water supply line shut when there is no water flowing through the system. Other mechanical devices that prevent backflow include double-check valves and reduced-pressure zone backflow preventers. As with other pieces of equipment in your facility, these must be regularly checked and serviced by qualified technicians to ensure they are working properly.

An air gap is a 100% sure way to prevent backflow. This is a physical space between a safe water outlet and a source of unsafe water. If using a sink as an example, the faucet should be above the flood rim of the sink, in addition to having space between the drain of the sink and the floor drain.

If at any time the water supply is interrupted in your operation, you must determine whether it poses a direct threat to the safety of the food and act accordingly. Along with the creation of a cross connection, unsafe water may occur as a result of a broken water main, breakdowns at water treatment facilities impacting the safety of the water, or if on a private well testing that indicates contamination, to name a few. If the loss of water poses a significant risk to the safety of the food you are serving, then you must cease all further work and alert your regulatory authority. Once the emergency has passed and the problem is corrected, you must have approval from your regulator to reopen.

A 2017 Food Code update notes that a regulatory authority may allow an operation to continue operating in the event of a water interruption under certain conditions. These include the following:

• The foodservice operation has a written emergency plan for operating during a water interruption that has been approved in advance by the regulatory authority.
• Immediate action is taken to prevent, eliminate, or control food safety risks and any imminent health hazards associated with the interruption.
• The regulatory authority is informed upon implementation of the emergency plan.

Using safe water in a food establishment is critical to preventing foodborne illness. Simple precautions such as having properly installed and maintained plumbing systems and not creating cross connections go a long way to ensure a safe food system. As always, work with your local regulatory authority for specific requirements needed to meet food code regulations in your area.