New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 1 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS
Chapter VI - Food Control
Subchapter G - Inspection of Meat, Meat Products and Poultry (Article 5-B Agriculture and Markets Law)
Article 1 - Meat and Meat Products
Part 318 - Entry Into Official Establishments; Reinspection And Preparation Of Products
Section 318.10 - Prescribed treatment of pork and products containing pork to destroy trichinae

Universal Citation: 1 NY Comp Codes Rules and Regs § 318.10

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024

Agriculture and Markets Law, § 96-z-34

(a) All forms of fresh pork, including fresh unsmoked sausage containing pork muscle tissue, and pork such as bacon and jowls, other than those covered by subdivision (b) of this section, are classed as products that are customarily well cooked in the home or elsewhere before being served to the consumer. Therefore, the treatment of such products for the destruction of trichinae is not required.

(b) Products named in this subdivision and products of the character thereof, containing pork muscle tissue (not including port hearts, pork stomachs, and pork livers), or the pork muscle tissue which forms an ingredient of such products, shall be effectively heated, refrigerated, or cured to destroy any possible live trichinae, as prescribed in this section at the official establishment where such products are prepared: bologna, frankfurter, vienna, and other cooked sausage; smoked sausage; knoblauch sausage; mortadella; all forms of summer or dried sausage, including mettwurst; flavored pork sausages such as those containing wine or similar flavoring materials; cured pork sausage; sausage containing cured and/or smoked pork; cooked loaves; roasted, baked, boiled, or cooked hams, pork shoulders, or pork shoulder picnics; Italian-style hams; Westphalia-sytle hams; smoked boneles pork shoulder butts; cured meat rolls; capocollo (capicola, capacola); coppa; fresh or cured boneless pork shoulder butts, hams, loins, shoulders, shoulder picnics, and similar pork cuts, in casings or other containers in which ready-to-eat delicatessen articles are customarily enclosed (excepting Scotch-style hams); breaded pork products; cured boneless pork loins; boneless back bacon; bacon used for wrapping around patties, steaks and similar products; and smoked pork cuts such as hams, shoulders, loins, and pork shoulder picnics (excepting smoked hams, and smoked pork shoulder picnics which are specially prepared for distribution in tropical climates or smoked hams delivered to the Armed Services); ground meat mixtures containing pork and beef, veal, lamb, mutton, or goat meat and other product consisting of mixtures of pork and other ingredients, which the commissioner determines at the time the labeling for the product is submitted for approval in accordance with Part 317 of this Article, or upon subsequent reevaluation of the product, would be prepared in such a manner that the product might be eaten rare or without thorough cooking because of the appearance of the finished product or otherwise. Cured boneless pork loins shall be subjected to prescribed treatment for destruction of trichinae prior to being shipped from the establishment where cured.

(1) Heating.

(i) All parts of the pork muscle tissue shall be heated to a temperature not lower than 137 degrees Fahrenheit, and the method used shall be one known to insure such a result. On account of differences in methods of heating and in weights of products undergoing treatment it is impracticable to specify details of procedures for all cases.

(ii) Procedures which insure the proper heating of all parts of the product shall be adopted. It is important that each piece of sausage, each ham, and other product treated by heating in water be kept entirely submerged throughout the heating period; and that the largest pieces in a lot, the innermost links of bunched sausage or other massed articles, and pieces placed in the coolest part of a heating cabinet or compartment or vat be included in the temperature tests.

(2) Refrigerating.

At any stage of preparation and after preparatory chilling to a temperature of not above 40 degrees Fahrenheit or preparatory freezing, all parts of the muscle tissue of pork or product containing such tissue shall be subjected continuously to a temperature not higher than one of those specified in Table 1, the duration of such refrigeration at the specified temperature being dependent on the thickness of the meat or inside dimensions of the container.

TABLE 1

REQUIRED PERIOD OF FREEZING AT TEMPERATURE INDICATED

*Temperature*	*Group 1*	*Group 2*
°F	Days	Days
5	20	30
-10	10	20
-20	6	12

(i) Group 1 comprises product in separate pieces not exceeding six inches in thickness, or arranged on separate racks with the layers not exceeding six inches in depth, or stored in crates or boxes not exceeding six inches in depth, or stored as solidly frozen blocks not exceeding six inches in thickness.

(ii) Group 2 comprises product in pieces, layers, or within containers, the thickness of which exceeds six inches but not 27 inches, and product in containers including tierces, barrels, kegs and cartons having a thickness not exceeding 27 inches.

(iii) The product undergoing such refrigeration or the containers thereof shall be so spaced while in the freezer as will insure a free circulation of air between the pieces of meat, layers, blocks, boxes, barrels and tierces in order that the temperature of the meat throughout will be promptly reduced to not higher than 5 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or 20 degrees Fahrenheit, as the case may be.

(iv) In lieu of the methods prescribed in Table 1, the treatment may consist of refrigeration to a temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the pieces of meat or commercial freeze drying.

(v) During the period of refrigeration the product shall be kept separate from other products and in the custody of the department in rooms or compartments equipped and made secure with an official department lock or seal. The rooms or compartments containing product undergoing freezing shall be equipped with accurate thermometers placed at or above the highest level at which the product undergoing treatment is stored and away from refrigerating coils. After completion of the prescribed freezing of pork to be used in the preparation of product covered by subdivision (b) of this section the pork shall be kept under close supervision of an inspector until it is prepared in finished form as one of the products enumerated in subdivision (b) of this section, or until it is transferred under department control to another official establishment for preparation in such finished form.

(vi) Pork which has been refrigerated as specified in this paragraph may be transferred in sealed railroad cars, sealed motor trucks, sealed trailers, or sealed closed containers to another official establishment at the same or another location, for use in the preparation of product covered by subdivision (b) of this section. The sealing of closed containers, such as boxes and slack barrels, shall be effected by cording and affixing thereto official department seals, and such containers as tierces and kegs shall be held in department custody by sealing with wax impressed with an official department metal brand. Railroad cars, motortrucks, and trailers used to transport such pork shall be sealed with official department car seals except that sealed and marked closed containers may be shipped in unsealed railroad cars, motortrucks, and trailers. Shipping containers such as boxes, barrels, and tierces, containing pork refrigerated in accordance with this section, shall be plainly and conspicuously marked with a label or stencil furnished by the establishment, as follows: "Pork product __ degrees Fahrenheit __ days' refrigeration", indicating the temperature at which the product was refrigerated and the length of time so treated. For each consignment there shall be promptly issued and forwarded by the inspector to the officer in charge at destination a report on the appropriate form showing the character of the containers, and that the contents as "Pork product __ degrees Fahrenheit __days' refrigeration". A duplicate copy shall be retained in the circuit file.

(3) Curing.

(i) Sausage. The sausage may be stuffed in animal casings, hydrocellulose casings, or cloth bags. During any stage of treating the sausage for the destruction of live trichinae, except as provided in method 5, these coverings shall not be coated with paraffin or like substance, nor shall any sausage be washed during any prescribed period of drying. In the preparation of sausage, one of the following methods may be used:

(a) Method no. 1. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than three and one-third pounds of salt to each hundred-weight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding three and one-half inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, except that in sausage of the variety known as pepperoni, if in casings not exceeding one and three-eighths inches in diameter measured at the time of stuffing, the period of drying may be reduced to 15 days. In no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 25 days from the time the curing materials are added, except that sausage of the variety knowns as pepperoni, if in casings not exceeding the size specified, may be released at the expiration of 20 days from the time the curing materials are added. Sausage in casings exceeding three and one-half inches, but not exceeding four inches, in diameter at the time of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room not less than 35 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and in no case shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 40 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat.

(b) Method no. 2. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than three and one-third pounds of salt to each hundred-weight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding three and one-half inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be smoked not less than 40 hours at a temperature not lower than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and finally held in a drying room not less than 10 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit. In no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 18 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat. Sausage exceeding three and one-half inches, but not exceeding four inches, in diameter at the time of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room, following smoking as above indicated, not less than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, but in no case shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 33 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat.

(c) Method no. 3. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than three and one-third pounds of salt to each hundred-weight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After admixture with salt and other curing materials and before stuffing, the ground or chopped meat shall be held at a temperature not lower than 34 degrees Fahrenheit for not less than 36 hours. After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held at a temperature not lower than 34 degrees Fahrenheit for an additional period of time sufficient to make a total of not less than 144 hours from the time the curing materials are added to the meat, or the sausage shall be held for the time specified in a pickle-curing medium of not less than 50 degrees strength (salometer reading) at a temperature not lower than 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, sausage having a diameter not exceeding three and one-half inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be smoked for not less than 12 hours. The temperature of the smokehouse during this period at no time shall be lower than 90 degrees Fahrenheit; and for four consecutive hours of this period the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than 128 degrees Fahrenheit. Sausage exceeding three and one-half inches, but not exceeding four inches, in diameter at the time of stuffing shall be smoked, following the prescribed curing, for not less than 15 hours. The temperature of the smokehouse during the 15-hour period shall at no time be lower than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and for seven consecutive hours of this period the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than 128 degrees Fahrenheit. In regulating the temperature of the smokehouse for the treatment of sausage under this method, the temperature of 128 degrees Fahrenheit shall be attained gradually during a period of not less than four hours.

(d) Method no. 4. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding one-fourth of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than two and one-half pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After admixture with the salt and other curing materials and before stuffing, the ground or chopped sausage shall be held as a compact mass, not more than six inches in depth, at a temperature not lower than 36 degrees Fahrenheit for not less than 10 days. At the termination of the holding period, the sausage shall be stuffed in casings or cloth bags not exceeding three and one-third inches in diameter, measured at the time of stuffing. After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held in a drying room at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit for the remainder of a 35-day period, measured from the time the curing materials are added to the meat. At any time after stuffing, if the establishment operator deems it desirable, the product may be heated in a water bath for a period not to exceed three hours at a temperature not lower than 85 degrees Fahrenheit, or subjected to smoking at a temperature not lower than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or the product may be both heated and smoked as specified. The time consumed in heating and smoking, however, shall be in addition to the 35-day holding period.

(e) Method no. 5. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than three and one-third pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held for not less than 65 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The coverings for sausage prepared according to this method may be coated at any stage of the preparation before or during the holding period with paraffin or other substance approved by the commissioner.

(ii) Capocollo (capicola, capacola). Boneless pork butts for capocollo shall be cured in a dry-curing mixture containing not less than four and one-half pounds of salt per hundredweight of meat for a period of not less than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 36 degrees Fahrenheit. If the curing materials are applied to the butts by the process known as churning, a small quantity of pickle may be added. During the curing period the butts may be overhauled according to any of the usual processes of overhauling, including the addition of pickle or dry salt if desired. The butts shall not be subjected during or after curing to any treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. After being stuffed, the product shall be smoked for a period of not less than 30 hours at a temperature not lower than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and shall finally be held in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

(iii) Coppa. Boneless pork butts for coppa shall be cured in a dry-curing mixture containing not less than four and one-half pounds of salt per hundredweight of meat for a period of not less than 18 days at a temperature not lower than 36 degree Fahrenheit. If the curing mixture is applied to the butts by the process known as churning, a small quantity of pickle may be added. During the curing period the butts may be overhauled according to any of the usual processes of overhauling, including the addition of pickle or dry salt if desired. The butts shall not be subjected during or after curing to any treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. After being stuffed, the product shall be held in a drying room not less than 35 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

(iv) Hams and pork shoulder picnics. In the curing of hams and pork shoulder picnics either of the following methods may be used:

(a) Method no. 1. The hams and pork shoulder picnics shall be cured by a dry-salt curing process not less than 40 days at a temperature not lower than 36 degrees Fahrenheit. The products shall be laid down in salt, not less than four pounds to each hundredweight of product, the salt being applied in a thorough manner to the lean meat of each item. When placed in cure the products may be pumped with pickle if desired. At least once during the curing process the products shall be overhauled and additional salt applied, if necessary, so that the lean meat of each item is thoroughly covered. After removal from cure the products may be soaked in water at a temperature not higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit for not more than 15 hours, during which time the water may be changed once; but they shall not be subjected to any other treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. The products shall finally be dried or smoked not less than 10 days at a temperature not lower than 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

(b) Method no. 2. The products shall be cured by a dry-salt curing process at a temperature not lower than 36 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of not less than three days for each pound of weight (green) of the individual items. The time of cure of each lot of such products placed in cure shall be calculated on a basis of the weight of the heaviest item of the lot. Products cured by this method, before they are placed in cure, shall be pumped with pickle solution of not less than 100 degrees strength (salometer), about four ounces of the solution being injected into the shank and a like quantity along the flank side of the body bone (femur). The products shall be laid down in salt, not less than four pounds of salt to each hundredweight of product, the salt being applied in a thorough manner to the lean meat of each item. At least once during the curing process the products shall be overhauled and additional salt applied, if necessary, so that the lean meat of each item is thoroughly covered. After removal from the cure the product may be soaked in water at a temperature not higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit for not more than four hours, but shall not be subjected to any other treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. The products shall then be dried or smoked not less than 48 hours at a temperature not lower than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and finally shall be held in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

(v) Boneless pork loins and loin ends. In lieu of heating or refrigerating to destroy possible live trichinae in boneless loins, the loins may be cured for a period of not less than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 36 degrees Fahrenheit by the use of one of the following methods:

(a) Method no. 1. Application of a dry-salt curing mixture containing not less than five pounds of salt to each hundredweight of meats.

(b) Method no. 2. Application of a pickle solution of not less than 80 degrees strength (salometer) on the basis of not less than 60 pounds of pickle to each hundredweight of meat.

(c) Method no. 3. Application of a pickle solution added to the dry-salt cure prescribed as Method no. 1 in this subparagraph (v) provided the pickle solution is not less than 80 degrees strength (salometer).

After removal from cure, the loins may be soaked in water for not more than one hour at a temperature not higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit or washed under a spray but shall not be subjected, during or after the curing process, to any other treatment designed to remove salt. Following curing, the loins shall be smoked for not less than 12 hours. The minimum temperature of the smokehouse during this period at no time shall be lower than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and for four consecutive hours of this period the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, the product shall be held in a drying room for a period of not less than 12 days at a temperature not lower than 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

(d) General instructions.

When necessary to comply with the requirements of this section, the smokehouses, drying rooms, and other compartments used in the treatment of pork to destroy possible live trichinae shall be suitably equipped, by the operator of the official establishment, with accurate automatic recording thermometers. Officers in charge are authorized to approve for use in sausage smokehouses, drying rooms, and other compartments, such automatic recording thermometers as are found to give satisfactory service and to disapprove and require discontinuance of use, for purposes of the regulations in this Article, any thermometers (including any automatic recording thermometers) of the establishment that are found to be inaccurate or unreliable.

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