Issue View | Council III | 2020 Biennial Meeting

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Amend 5-202.12 of Food Code to Change Hot Water Temperature

A recommendation is being made to reconsider the requirement in the FDA Food Code that water for handwashing be available at 100°F based on more recent available science.

Handwashing efficacy has been often studied to determine which factors are most important in reducing pathogen load on hands. Requirements of the FDA Food Code should be based on scientific data. Higher water temperatures require additional energy usage, and many public restrooms have lowered target water temperatures to combat scald concerns. There are documented risks of burns and scalds among elderly and children, and food service establishments often struggle juggling the requirement of hot water for handwashing with these risks. Numerous studies have been done to determine if the water temperature Research has been done to show that the temperature of water used in handwashing does not impact pathogens removed from hands during handwashing¹. The temperature of the water serves as a comfort factor for the food employee who is participating in handwashing. Overall, since water temperature has been proven to have no impact on handwashing efficacy, the 100°F water temperature should be reduced to a lower temperature that considered employee comfort while allowing for reduced temperature for energy usage and scalding concerns².

References

1. Michaels et al Food Service Technology, 2, pp. 139-149
2. Jensen et al Journal of Food Protection, 80, pp. 1022-1031

That a letter be sent to the FDA requesting that Section 5-202.12 of the most current edition of the Food Code be amended to change the minimum required water temperature for handwashing to 21°C (70°F).