Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 3, March 20, 2024
A. Equipment and tools subject to the
requirements of this Chapter are those that are intended or likely to contact
covered produce, and those instruments or controls used to measure, regulate,
or record conditions to control or prevent the growth of microorganisms of
public health significance. Equipment and tools used for covered produce
include, but are not limited to:
1.
knives;
2. implements;
3. mechanical harvesters;
4. waxing machinery;
5. cooling equipment (including
hydrocoolers);
6. grading
belts;
7. sizing
equipment;
8. palletizing
equipment;
9. equipment used to
store or convey harvested covered produce;
10. containers;
11. bins;
12. food-packing material;
13. dump tanks;
14. flumes;
15. vehicles; or
16. other equipment used for transport that
are intended to, or likely to, contact covered produce.
B. Buildings subject to the requirements of
this Chapter include:
1. any fully- or
partially-enclosed building used for covered activities, including minimal
structures that have a roof but do not have any walls; and
2. storage sheds, buildings, or other
structures used to store food contact surfaces, such as harvest containers and
food-packing materials.
C. Equipment and tools subject to this
Chapter shall:
1. be of adequate design,
construction, and workmanship to enable them to be adequately cleaned and
properly maintained;
2. be
installed and maintained to facilitate cleaning of the equipment and all
adjacent spaces;
3. be stored and
maintained to protect covered produce from being contaminated with known or
reasonably foreseeable hazards, and to prevent the equipment and tools from
attracting and harboring pests;
4.
have seams on food contact surfaces that are either smoothly bonded, or
maintained to minimize accumulation of dirt, filth, food particles, and organic
materials and thus minimize the opportunity for harborage or growth of
microorganisms; and
5. be
inspected, maintained, cleaned, and, when necessary and appropriate, all food
contact surfaces of equipment and tools used in covered activities shall be
maintained, cleaned, and sanitized as frequently as reasonably necessary to
protect against contamination of covered produce.
D. If equipment such as pallets, forklifts,
tractors, and vehicles are used as intended or likely to contact covered
produce, they shall be used in a manner that minimizes the potential for
contamination of covered produce or food contact surfaces with known or
reasonably foreseeable hazards.
F.
Instruments or controls used to measure, regulate, or record temperatures,
hydrogen-ion concentration (pH), sanitizer efficacy or other conditions, in
order to control or prevent the growth of microorganisms of public health
significance, shall be:
1. accurate and
precise as necessary and appropriate in keeping with their purpose;
2. adequately maintained; and
3. adequate in number for their designated
uses.
E. Equipment that is
subject to this Section used to transport covered produce shall be:
1. adequately cleaned before use in
transporting covered produce; and
2. adequate for use in transporting covered
produce.
F. All of the
following requirements apply regarding buildings.
1. Buildings shall be suitable in size,
construction, and design to facilitate maintenance and sanitary operations for
covered activities to reduce the potential for contamination of covered produce
or food contact surfaces with known or reasonably foreseeable hazards.
Buildings shall:
a. provide sufficient space
for placement of equipment and storage of materials;
b. permit proper precautions to be taken to
reduce the potential for contamination of covered produce, food contact
surfaces, or packing materials with known or reasonably foreseeable hazards.
The potential for contamination shall be reduced by effective design including
the separation of operations in which contamination is likely to occur, by one
or more of the following means: location, time, partition, enclosed systems, or
other effective means; and
2. Adequate drainage shall be provided in all
areas where normal operations release or discharge water or other liquid waste
on the ground or floor of the building.
G. Measures to prevent contamination of
covered produce and food contact surfaces in buildings shall be implemented, as
appropriate, considering the potential for such contamination.
H. Reasonable precautions shall be taken to
prevent contamination of covered produce, food contact surfaces, and
food-packing materials in fully-enclosed buildings with known or reasonably
foreseeable hazards from domesticated animals by:
1. excluding domesticated animals from
fully-enclosed buildings where covered produce, food contact surfaces, or
food-packing material is exposed; or
2. separating domesticated animals in a
fully-enclosed building from an area where a covered activity is conducted on
covered produce by location, time, or partition.
I. Guard or guide dogs may be allowed in some
areas of a fully enclosed building if the presence of the dogs is unlikely to
result in contamination of produce, food contact surfaces, or food-packing
materials.
J. Reasonably necessary
measures shall be taken to protect covered produce, food contact surfaces, and
foodpacking materials from contamination by pests in buildings, including
routine monitoring for pests as necessary and appropriate.
K. For fully-enclosed buildings, measures
shall be taken to exclude pests from buildings.
L. For partially-enclosed buildings, measures
shall be taken to prevent pests from becoming established in such buildings,
such as by use of screens or by monitoring for the presence of pests and
removing them when present.
M. All
of the following requirements apply to toilet facilities:
1. personnel shall be provided with adequate,
readily accessible toilet facilities, including toilet facilities readily
accessible to growing areas during harvesting activities;
2. toilet facilities shall be designed,
located, and maintained to:
a. prevent
contamination of covered produce, food contact surfaces, areas used for a
covered activity, water sources, and water distribution systems with human
waste;
b. be directly accessible
for servicing, be serviced and cleaned at a frequency sufficient to ensure
suitability of use, and be kept supplied with toilet paper; and
c. provide for the sanitary disposal of waste
and toilet paper;
3.
during growing activities that take place in a fully-enclosed building, and
during harvesting, packing, or holding activities, a hand-washing station shall
be provided in sufficiently close proximity to toilet facilities to make it
practical for persons who use the toilet facility to wash their
hands.
N. All of the
following requirements apply to handwashing facilities.
1. Personnel shall be provided with adequate,
readily accessible hand-washing facilities during growing activities that take
place in a fully-enclosed building, and during covered harvest, packing, or
holding activities.
2. Hand-washing
facilities shall be furnished with:
a. soap or
other effective surfactant,
b.
running water that satisfies the requirements of
21
CFR §
112.44(a) for water
used to wash hands, and
c. adequate
drying devices, such as single service towels, sanitary towel service, or
electric hand dryers.
3.
Appropriate disposal of waste associated with a hand-washing facility shall be
provided. Appropriate measures shall be taken to prevent waste water from a
handwashing facility from contaminating covered produce, food contact surfaces,
areas used for a covered activity, agricultural water sources, and agricultural
water distribution systems with known or reasonably foreseeable
hazards.
4. Antiseptic hand rubs
shall not be used as a substitute for soap (or other effective surfactant) and
water.
O. All of the
following requirements shall apply for the control and disposal of sewage:
1. Sewage shall be disposed into an adequate
sewage or septic system or through other adequate means.
2. Sewage and septic systems shall be
maintained in a manner that prevents contamination of covered produce, food
contact surfaces, areas used for a covered activity, agricultural water
sources, and agricultural water distribution systems with known or reasonably
foreseeable hazards; and
3.
Leakages or spills of human waste shall be disposed in a manner that prevents
contamination of covered produce, and prevents or minimizes contamination of
food contact surfaces, areas used for a covered activity, agricultural water
sources, or agricultural water distribution systems.
P. All of the following requirements apply to
the control and disposal of trash, litter, and waste in areas used for covered
activities:
1. Trash, litter, and waste shall
be conveyed, stored, and disposed to:
a.
minimize the potential for trash, litter, or waste to attract or harbor pests;
and
b. protect against
contamination of covered produce, food contact surfaces, areas used for a
covered activity, agricultural water sources, and agricultural water
distribution systems with known or reasonably foreseeable hazards.
2. Systems for waste treatment and
disposal shall be adequately operated so that they do not constitute a
potential source of contamination in areas used for a covered
activity.
Q. The plumbing
shall be of an adequate size and design and be adequately installed and
maintained to:
1. distribute water under
pressure as needed, in sufficient quantities, in all areas where used for
covered activities, for sanitary operations, or for hand-washing and toilet
facilities;
2. properly convey
sewage and liquid disposable waste;
3. avoid being a source of contamination to
covered produce, food contact surfaces, areas used for a covered activity, or
agricultural water sources; and
4.
not allow backflow from, or cross connection between, piping systems that
discharge waste water or sewage and piping systems that carry water used for a
covered activity, for sanitary operations, or for use in handwashing
facilities.
R. If
domesticated animals are present, their excreta and litter shall be adequately
controlled and a system for control thereof shall be maintained in order to
prevent contamination of covered produce, food contact areas used for a covered
activity, agricultural water sources, or agricultural water distribution
systems with animal waste.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with R.S 3:922 and
923.
