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House approves expanded food‑handler rules, clarifies exemptions for government establishments
Summary
Lawmakers adopted amendments to Senate Bill 166 to exempt certain federally‑permitted backcountry food operations and to define 'potentially hazardous foods' in statute; the measure requires a certified food safety manager at establishments serving five or more such foods and passed the House after debate and a later reconsideration (final tally reported 54‑12).
The Utah House debated and amended second substitute Senate Bill 166 on March 4, adopting language proponents said was requested by the food industry to tighten safety standards.
Representative Dave Hatch explained the pink‑sheet amendments exempt backcountry food establishments that operate under federal permits (such as river‑running operators) and move the statutory definition of 'potentially hazardous foods' into law rather than leaving it entirely to rulemaking. Under the amended bill, food service establishments that offer five or more defined potentially hazardous foods must have at least one full‑time certified food safety manager; the certificate can be issued by private entities so long as criteria are met. Local health departments retain authority to require remedial action for noncompliance.
Floor members questioned the scope of the exemption for government‑operated facilities (school lunches, senior centers) and whether certification duties could be averaged across chains. Sponsors responded that existing regulations address government establishments and that certification requirements differ depending on the number of potentially hazardous foods served: single establishments serving 5+ such foods must have one certified manager on site, while chains with low counts may average staffing in limited circumstances as clarified on the floor.
The House later reconsidered actions to correct floor misinformation and struck a line on page 4, line 11 as a technical fix. Final recorded floor action on SB166 showed passage by the House (tally reported in the transcript: 54 yes, 12 no). The bill will be returned to the Senate for further action.
Next steps: The amended bill is returned to the Senate for reception of the House’s changes and any subsequent actions.
