FOOD-SERVICE F-310 10-01-21 FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: FOOD SERVICE NO: F-310
FILE: FOOD SERVICE
EFFECTIVE DATE: 01-01-93 REVISED: 12-25-94, 06-04-95, 08-03-95, 04-01-96,
06-01-00, 03-01-10
AUTHORITY: Sheriff M. Mims APPROVED BY: Assistant Sheriff T. Gattie
REFERENCE: California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Sections 1230, 1240, 1241,
1242, 1243, 1245, 1246, 1247 and 1248; California Retail Food Code
(Health and Safety Code Sections 113700 et seq.); and Fresno
County Salary Resolution, Section 1011.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy is to establish and maintain a method of providing nutritiously
balanced meals for all inmates in the custody of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
POLICY:
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division that all menus for meals
served to inmates shall be planned at least one (1) month in advance. The menus shall be
in compliance with the requirements set forth in the California Code of Regulations. The
meals shall be evaluated for nutritional value and approved in advance by a registered
dietitian.
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division that the same daily menu
shall be served at all Jail facilities.
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division that the kitchen facilities,
sanitation, food preparation, service, and storage shall comply to standards set forth in the
California Retail Food Code (Health and Safety Code Sections 113700 et seq.).
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division that all inmates in custody,
with the exception of those on a special disciplinary isolation diet, will be provided with the
opportunity to consume three (3) meals during every twenty-four(24) hour period. At least
one of these meals shall include hot food. Fourteen (14) hours shall not pass between the
serving of breakfast and dinner. Supplemental or alternative food items may be served to
inmates who are on medical diets or who require more than three (3) meals a day, if so
determined by Jail medical staff.
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FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: FOOD SERVICE NO: F-310
FILE: FOOD SERVICE
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division that a minimum of fifteen
(15) minutes shall be allowed for the actual consumption of each meal, except for those
inmates on medical diets where a physician has prescribed additional time.
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division that if an inmate misses a
regularly scheduled facility meal, they shall be provided with a sandwich and beverage in
lieu of that meal (if the meal is no longer available). Inmates on medical diets shall be
provided with a full diet meal.
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division to contract with a food
service provider to prepare and deliver all meals. The meals are to be prepared at the
County Central Kitchen and delivered according to meal time deliveries as set by the
County. The contracted food service manager shall be responsible to ensure that
appropriate work assignments are made and food handlers are adequately supervised.
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Jail Division that correctional staff shall
be entitled to eat one (1) meal during each shift, while on-duty.
PROCEDURES:
I. MEAL COUNT
A. Food service staff shall be responsible to run a ROSTER to use for an
approximation of the number of meals required by each housing floor.
B. Food service staff shall be responsible to call the housing floors to confirm the
number of meals needed for each floor approximately one hour prior to the
floor's scheduled delivery time.
II. FOOD SERVICE STAFF RESPONSIBILITY
A. Under the direction of the food service manager, the feed operations will consist
of preparing the meal from the approved menu, apportioning the food into equal
serving portions and delivering the food to designated locations for inmate
consumption. The food shall be delivered within fifteen (15) minutes of the
designated time.
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FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: FOOD SERVICE NO: F-310
FILE: FOOD SERVICE
B. ALL persons handling food shall maintain proper hygiene and wear protective
gloves when handling food and/or trays. Food service workers assigned to the
kitchen area shall be required to wear hairnets.
C. Every effort shall be made to prevent food from mixing together when serving,
transporting and delivering the food trays to the housing units.
D. The dinner meal will include hot food and shall be served at a minimum of 135
degrees Fahrenheit. Cold food shall be kept at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
The temperatures shall be taken at the time the food is served in the kitchen.
E. Upon completion of feeding, the trays shall be gathered by inmate workers
supervised by correctional officers. The food service staff shall retrieve the trays
and ensure they are properly cleaned prior to re-use.
III. FOOD DISTRIBUTION
A. Food will be distributed twice per day. The meals will be transported and
delivered to each floor by food service staff.
1. BREAKFAST: Serving commences at approximately 0300 hours and should
be completed by 0430 hours.
2. LUNCH: Sack lunches are distributed with the breakfast meal.
3. DINNER: Serving commences at approximately 1700 hours and should be
completed by 1915 hours.
B. Officers shall accurately complete a Tray Delivery and Return Transmittal form
noting the number of trays delivered, number of trays served and number of
trays not served. The form has additional space to note any problems with the
food.
C. Distribution of the inmate meal shall be initiated five (5) minutes from the time
the first food cart arrives on the housing floor.
D. All food trays shall be distributed to the inmates under the supervision of an
officer. Inmate workers may be used to assist in the distribution of the meal,
however, they shall not be allowed into isolation hallways (e.g., Main Jail FF
cells, Main Jail safety cells and South Annex 2D) or in lockdown housing units
when inmates are present.
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FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: FOOD SERVICE NO: F-310
FILE: FOOD SERVICE
E. If a meal needs to be returned (e.g., is spoiled, damaged or missing a food item),
the incomplete meal must be exchanged for a complete meal (food service staff
must account for all returned or damaged meals).
1. An incident report shall be written whenever trays are dropped or damaged
prior to being distributed to the inmates.
2. Contact the on-duty Services Officer to facilitate supplementary orders from
the kitchen. If a Services Officer is not on duty, contact the food service staff.
3. Shortages may be supplemented by using "extra" trays or sack
lunches/breakfasts from another housing floor, but must be accounted for on
the Tray Delivery and Return Transmittal forms.
F. Inmates should finish their meals in the dayroom and shall not store excessive
food in their living quarters. Besides being unsanitary, such storage invites
vermin in the living quarters.
G. All areas where food spillage has occurred shall be properly cleaned
immediately following the service of each meal.
H. Garbage carts shall be taken to the loading dock so they may be dumped and
cleaned.
I. The inmate workers should be searched before they are returned to their cells to
ensure that no extra food items are taken into the housing units.
IV. INMATE WORKERS AND FOOD HANDLING
A. The housing floor officers shall be responsible to visually screen the inmate feed
workers for signs of illness prior to serving food. Inmates experiencing persistent
sneezing, coughing, or runny nose that cannot be controlled by medication shall
not work with exposed food.
B. All food handlers are required to thoroughly wash their hands prior to
commencing work and at such other times as are necessary to prevent
contamination of food (e.g., after using toilet facilities).
1. Inmate workers shall keep their hands and exposed portions of their arms
clean.
2. If the inmate has a lesion or wound that is open or draining, the wound must
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FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: FOOD SERVICE NO: F-310
FILE: FOOD SERVICE
be covered by an impermeable cover.
C. Gloves shall be worn when distributing food trays and unpackaged foods.
D. Inmate workers must not commit any act that may result in contamination or
adulteration of any food item.
V. MEDICAL DIETS
A. Only a physician can prescribe a medical diet.
B. Medical diets shall be planned, prepared and served with consultation from a
registered dietician.
C. The Jail Operations Bureau Commander shall comply with any medical diet
prescribed for an inmate.
D. The Bureau Commander and Jail Medical Director shall ensure that the medical
diet manual, which includes sample menus for medical diets, shall be available
in both the medical unit and the food service office for reference and information.
A registered dietitian shall review, and the Jail Medical Director shall approve,
the diet manual on an annual basis.
VI. DISCIPLINARY ISOLATION DIET
The disciplinary isolation diet is part of a progressive disciplinary plan and is one of
the last measures to be applied in controlling inmate behavior. The disciplinary
isolation diet may be utilized for major violations of institutional rules or when other
forms of lesser discipline have failed to work.
A. No inmate receiving a prescribed medical diet is to be placed on a disciplinary
isolation diet without review by a physician.
B. The disciplinary diet shall be served twice in each 24-hour period and shall consist
of one-half loaf of the meatloaf(as prescribed by Title 15 Section 1247) along with
two slices of whole wheat bread and at least one quart(i.e., 32 ounces)of drinking
water if the cell does not have a water supply.
C. The use of a disciplinary isolation diet shall constitute an exception to the three-
meal-a-day standard.
D. If the disciplinary isolation diet is sanctioned as a means of discipline, the loaf will
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FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: FOOD SERVICE NO: F-310
FILE: FOOD SERVICE
be served to the inmate every other day (on odd-numbered calendar days) for
the prescribed length of discipline.
VII. MEAL SUBSTITUTIONS
A. All menus for meals served to inmates shall be planned at least one (1) month in
advance.
B. When necessary due to unforeseen circumstances, substitutions to the menu
items may be made from a list which has been pre-approved by the dietitian on
an item-for-item basis.
C. Substitutions or changes in the approved menu shall be minimal. All changes to
the menu via use of the approved substitution list shall be documented by the
food service manager and the documentation shall be maintained for three (3)
years. All other changes to the menu shall only be made with the prior approval
of the Jail Operations Bureau Commander.
VIII. MEAL ACCOUNTING WORKSHEETS
A. Tray Delivery and Return Transmittal forms will be accurately completed and
submitted to the Office Assistant assigned to the Services Unit. A designated
food service employee will FAX or deliver the forms by 1200 hours each day.
B. The Office Assistant shall reconcile the total number of meals ordered and
served for each meal onto a daily Meal Count worksheet, which shall be
forwarded to the Services Sergeant on a weekly basis.
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