ARTICLE 4. Receipt of Food [114035. - 114041.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 4.
in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114035. Section 114035.

(a) Food shall be inspected as soon as practicable upon receipt and prior to any use, storage, or resale. (b) Food shall be accepted only if the inspection conducted upon receipt determines that the food satisfies all of the following: (1) Was prepared by and received from approved sources. (2) Is received in a wholesome condition. (3) Is received in packages that are in good condition and that protect the integrity of the contents so that the food is not exposed to adulteration or potential contaminants. (4) Is in containers and on pallets that are not infested with vermin or otherwise contaminated. (c) Potentially hazardous food shall be inspected for signs of spoilage and randomly checked for adherence to the temperature requirements as specified in Section 113996.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114037. Section 114037.

(a) Except as specified in subdivision (b), refrigerated, potentially hazardous food may be at a temperature of 45°F or below when received, if the potentially hazardous food is cooled within four hours of receipt to a temperature at or below 41°F. (b) If a temperature other than 41°F for a potentially hazardous food is specified in law governing its distribution, the food may be received at the specified temperature and cooled as specified in subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 114002. (c) Live molluscan shellfish shall not be accepted unless received at an internal temperature of 45°F or below, or, if received on the date of harvest, at a temperature above 45°F. (d) Potentially hazardous food that is received hot shall be at a temperature of 135ºF or above. (e) A food that is labeled frozen and shipped frozen by a food processing plant shall be received frozen and accepted only if there are not visible signs of thawing or refreezing. (f) Upon receipt, potentially hazardous food shall be free of evidence of previous temperature abuse.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114039. Section 114039.

(a) Raw shucked shellfish shall be obtained in nonreturnable packages that bear a legible label that identifies the name, address, and certification number of the shucker-packer or repacker of the molluscan shellfish, and a “sell by” date or a “best if used by” date for packages with a capacity of less than one-half gallon, or the date shucked for packages with a capacity of one-half gallon or more. (b) A package of raw shucked shellfish that does not bear a label or that bears a label that does not contain all the information required by subdivision (a) shall be subject to impound pursuant to Section 114393.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114039.1. Section 114039.1.

(a) Shellstock shall be obtained in containers bearing legible source identification tags or labels that are affixed by the harvester or each dealer that depurates, ships, or reships the shellstock. Except as specified by subdivision (c), on the harvester’s or dealer’s tag or label, the following information shall be listed in the following order: (1) The harvester’s or dealer’s name and address. (2) The harvester’s certification number as assigned by the authority and the original shellstock shipper’s certification number. (3) The date of harvesting. (4) The most precise identification of the harvest location or aquaculture site that is practicable based on the system of harvest area designations that is in use by the shellfish control authority and including the abbreviation of the name of the state or country in which the shellfish are harvested. (5) The type and quantity of shellfish. (6) The following statement in bold, capitalized type: “THIS TAG IS REQUIRED TO BE ATTACHED UNTIL CONTAINER IS EMPTY OR RETAGGED AND THEREAFTER KEPT ON FILE FOR 90 DAYS.” (7) The dealer’s tag or label shall also indicate the original shipper’s certification number, including the abbreviation of the name of the state or country in which the shellfish are harvested. (b) A container of shellstock that does not bear a tag or label or that bears a tag or label that does not contain all the information required under subdivision (a) shall be subject to impound pursuant to Section 114393. (c) If the harvester’s tag or label is designed to accommodate each dealer’s identification, individual dealer tags or labels need not be provided.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114039.2. Section 114039.2.

When received by a food facility, shellstock shall be reasonably free of mud, dead shellfish, and shellfish with broken shells. Dead shellfish or shellstock with badly broken shells shall be discarded.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114039.3. Section 114039.3.

(a) Except as specified in subdivisions (b) and (c), molluscan shellfish shall not be removed from the container in which they are received other than immediately before sale or preparation for service. (b) Shellstock may be removed from the container in which they are received and displayed on drained ice or held in a display container. A quantity specified by a consumer may be removed from the display or display container and provided to the consumer if the source of the shellstock on display is identified as specified under Section 114039.1 and recorded as specified under Section 114039.4 and the shellstock are protected from contamination. (c) Shucked shellfish may be removed from the container in which they were received and held in a display container from which individual servings are dispensed upon a consumer’s request if the labeling information for the shellfish on display as specified under Section 114039 is retained and correlated to the date when, or dates during which, the shellfish are sold or served and the shellfish are protected from contamination.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114039.4. Section 114039.4.

(a) Except as specified by subdivision (b), shellstock tags shall remain attached to the container in which the shellstock are received until the container is empty. (b) The identity of the source of shellstock that are sold or served shall be maintained for 90 calendar days from the dates of harvest by using an approved recordkeeping system that keeps the tags or labels in chronological order correlated to the date or dates the shellstock are sold or served. (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), if shellstock are removed from their tagged or labeled container, the identity of the source of shellstock that are sold or served shall be maintained by doing the following: (1) Using a recordkeeping system as required under subdivision (b). (2) Ensuring that shellstock from one tagged or labeled container are not commingled with shellstock from another container with different certification numbers, harvest dates, or growing areas as identified on the tag or label before being ordered by the consumer. (3) If shellstock are portioned and prepackaged, including a copy of the corresponding shellstock tag or properly labeling the package with the required shellfish information.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114039.5. Section 114039.5.

(a) Except as specified in subdivision (b), molluscan shellfish life-support system display tanks shall not be used to display shellfish that are offered for human consumption and shall be conspicuously marked so that it is obvious to the consumer that the shellfish are for display only. (b) Molluscan shellfish life support system display tanks that are used to store and display shellfish that are offered for human consumption shall be operated and maintained in accordance with an HACCP plan as specified in Section 114419.1. Operation and maintenance shall ensure the following: (1) Water used with fish other than molluscan shellfish does not flow into the molluscan tank. (2) The safety and quality of the shellfish as they were received are not compromised by the use of the tank. (3) The identity of the source of the shellstock is retained as specified in Section 114039.4. (c) Molluscan shellfish life support system display tanks that were in operation prior to the effective date of this part need not comply with Section 114419.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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