<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".22" citation="COMAR 10.15.04.22" title_num="10" subtitle_num="15" chapter_num="04" heading="Foodborne Disease Investigation and Control.">
  <text>The approving authority shall ensure that:</text>
  <paragraph num="A.">
    <text>When there is reasonable cause to suspect foodborne disease transmission or an outbreak from a food processed or distributed by a food processing plant, an inspection of the plant is conducted to:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Identify:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Potential points of food contamination in the facility;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Whether employee illness may have contributed; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Whether a contaminated ingredient was used to process a food; and</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Determine if affected food has been distributed into commerce; and</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="B.">
    <text>The appropriate follow-up action is taken, which may include immediate:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Closing of the food processing plant, or a portion of the plant that is used to process the implicated product; or</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Exclusion of a suspect employee from all food handling positions within the plant until medical and epidemiological evidence shows that the likelihood of further foodborne disease transmission is low in accordance with COMAR 10.06.01.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
</regulation>