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serving dinner and at least one additional snack. Meal components and serving sizes shall be in accordance with these guidelines; (c) Only Grade A pasteurized fluid milk and fluid milk products may be given to any child less than 24 months old, except with a written permission from the child’s health provider; (d) Whole milk may not be served to children less than 12 months of age, except with a written permission from the child’s health provider; and (e) Reconstituted milk shall not be served to any child, regardless of age. (2) Food served shall be suited to the child’s age and appetite. Second portions shall be available. (3) Round, firm foods shall not be offered to children younger than four years old. Examples of such foods include: hot dogs, grapes, hard candy, nuts, peanuts, and popcorn. Hot dogs may be served if cut lengthwise and quartered; grapes may be served if cut in halves. (4) All food in group child care homes shall be clean, wholesome, unspoiled, free from contamina- tion, properly labeled, and safe for human consumption. (5) Meals and snacks may be provided by the group child care home or the parent. The group child care home shall have a small supply of nutritional food and beverages available in the event a parent neglects to bring the child’s food on an unanticipated basis. (6) Dietary alternatives shall be available for a child who has special health needs or religious beliefs. (7) Written permission/instructions for dietary modifications signed by the child’s health care provider or parent or legal guardian are required. B. Food Preparation (1) Adequate hand-washing facilities equipped with hot and cold water under pressure, supplied through a mixing faucet, shall be provided in or convenient to the food preparation area. (2) Sanitary soap and towels shall be provided. (3) Utensils, such as forks, knives, tongs, spoons, and scoops shall be provided and used to minimize handling of food in all food preparation areas. (4) Staff shall thoroughly wash their hands and exposed areas of arms with soap and warm water before starting work, during work as often as is necessary to keep them clean, e.g., after smoking, eating, drinking, or using the toilet. Staff shall keep their fingernails clean and trimmed. (5) The outer clothing of all staff shall be clean. (6) Staff shall neither use tobacco in any form while preparing or serving food, nor while in areas used for equipment or utensil washing or for food preparation. (7) Potentially hazardous foods requiring cooking shall be cooked to heat all parts of the food to an internal temperature of at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit, with the following exceptions: (a) Hamburger shall be cooked to at least 155 degrees Fahrenheit; (b) Poultry, poultry stuffing, stuffed meats, and stuffing-containing meat shall be cooked to heat all parts of the food to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit with no interruption of the cooking process; (c) Pork and any food containing pork shall be cooked to heat all parts of the food to at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit; and (d) Rare roast beef and rare beefsteak shall be cooked to surface temperature of at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit. (8) Potentially hazardous food such as meats, cooked rice, and cream-filled pastries shall be prepared (preferably from chilled products) with a minimum of manual contact and on surfaces with utensils that are clean and sanitized prior to use. (9) Metal, stem-type, numerically-scaled indicating thermometers, accurate to plus or minus three degrees Fahrenheit, shall be provided and used to ensure that proper internal cooking, holding, or refrigeration temperatures of all potentially hazardous foods are maintained. (10) Potentially hazardous foods shall be thawed as follows: (a) In refrigerated units at a temperature not to exceed 45 degrees Fahrenheit;