In addition to the basic food establishment requirements for physical facilities, food processing establishments must meet the requirements of NAC 446.955 - 446.960.

Food processing establishments often encounter challenges not present in restaurant-type establishments, such as the need for custom industrial equipment not certified through normal channels, such as NSF, UL, or ETL. Applicants may take one of the following steps to get equipment approved:

1. If equipment is certified in Europe, produce evidence that the European standards the equipment was certified to include sanitation standards.
2. Have the equipment field-certified by a certified testing company.
3. Produce a letter from another United States government health agency indicating that the same equipment is in use and approved in their jurisdiction.

In order to meet the requirements of NAC 446.955, in addition to the plans, equipment schedules, and applications, an applicant for a food processing permit must provide written, detailed process information including:

• A detailed description of the food processing operation and any other documentation required by the health authority, including, but not limited to:
  • The food to be handled, processed or packaged.
  • Any label for packaging, which has been proposed for a food product. The label must be reviewed and approved by the health authority and any fees required must be paid before the label may be used. If the food is sold for consumption in Clark County, the labels must meet the food labeling criteria. Download the Food Labeling Guide. PDF (128KB/2 pages)
• A description of all of the steps required to process each food product. The description must include:
  • The amount of time required for each step;
  • The amount of time required between each step;
  • Proposed temperatures of the food product;
  • Rates of cooling and heating the food product; and
  • The process for handling food by employees of the establishment.
• If applicable, a description of the methods used to heat or cool food products, such as ovens, warmers, blast chillers, walk-in refrigerators and similar equipment.
• If the processing involves potentially hazardous food or if the steps are critical in regard to bacterial growth, the health authority may require supporting laboratory data, including, but not limited to:
  • The results of a pH test;
  • The results of a bacterial culture test;
  • The results of a water activity test;
  • A determination of the level of salinity;
  • An analysis of the cooling or heating temperature used for the food product; and
  • A complete program for the analysis of hazards and critical control points for food processing.

Proprietary information will be protected at the request the applicant.