Texas Administrative Code
Title 25 - HEALTH SERVICES
Part 1 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES
Chapter 217 - MILK AND DAIRY
Subchapter D - BULK MILK REGULATIONS
Section 217.64 - Unloading Stations and Milk Tank Truck Cleaning Facilities
Universal Citation: 25 TX Admin Code ยง 217.64
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Milk tank truck unloading stations.
(1) When the milk tank truck unloading
station is a receiving station or a milk processing plant, it shall comply with
the following sanitation requirements for Grade A pasteurized milk as specified
in the "Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance" which is adopted by reference in
§
217.2
of this title (relating to Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance): floors; walls
and ceilings; doors and windows; lighting and ventilation; toilet-sewage
disposal facilities; water supply; hand-washing facilities; milk plant
cleanliness; sanitary piping; construction and repair of containers and
equipment; cleaning and sanitizing of containers and equipment; storage of
cleaned containers and equipment; storage of single service containers,
utensils, and materials; protection from contamination; cooling of milk;
personnel cleanliness; and surroundings.
(2) When the unloading station is a transfer
station, it shall comply with all the requirements of a receiving station
except that the provisions for walls, ceilings, doors and windows are not
required unless climatic and operation conditions interfere with safe handling
of the milk. Overhead protection shall be provided in all cases.
(3) The pump-out of the milk tank truck shall
be done in an area where a cover extends over the complete transport tank or,
when climatic and operating conditions require, in a completely enclosed area.
Pump-out operations must be protected in such a manner as to prevent product
contamination. If the area is not completely enclosed or doors of the unloading
area are open during unloading, a suitable filter is required for the manhole
or the air inlet vent.
(4) The
agitating and sampling of the transport tank milk shall be accomplished in such
a manner as to provide maximum protection against product contamination. The
unloading station shall provide the necessary equipment to adequately agitate
the milk in the transport tank. The milk shall be agitated for a minimum of 15
minutes prior to obtaining samples. The department may approve alternative
procedures to achieve adequate agitation. Samples shall be collected only by
certified milk samplers. In no instance shall agitation and sampling be done at
a place other than a location approved by the department.
(5) The unloading station shall record the
following information on each load of milk received, and maintain these records
for a period of not less than 90 days:
(A)
the date the load was received;
(B)
the time received;
(C) the number
of pounds in the load;
(D) the
temperature of the milk upon receipt;
(E) the permit number of the milk tank truck
delivering the milk;
(F) the name
of the station operator receiving the milk; and
(G) the manifest with the driver's license
number of the sample collector.
(6) In no case shall milk be received from a
milk tank truck that appears to be damaged, dirty, or does not have a current
cleaning tag without the permission of the department.
(b) Milk Tank Truck Cleaning Facilities.
(1) It shall be the responsibility of each
unloading station to provide a milk tank truck cleaning facility. The milk tank
truck cleaning facility may be an integral part of the unloading station or a
separate facility. When the milk tank truck cleaning facility is a separate
facility, it shall be located convenient to and in the proximity of the
unloading station. All milk tank trucks that transport milk and milk products
as permitted by the department, shall be washed and sanitized at a permitted
milk plant, receiving station, transfer station, or milk tank truck cleaning
facility.
(2) The milk tank truck
cleaning facility shall comply with the following sanitation requirements for
Grade A pasteurized milk unloading stations of the "Grade A Pasteurized Milk
Ordinance:" floors; walls and ceilings; doors and windows; lighting and
ventilation; toilet-sewage disposal facilities; water supply; hand-washing
facilities; milk plant cleanliness; sanitary piping; construction and repair of
containers and equipment; cleaning and sanitizing of containers and equipment;
storage of cleaned containers and equipment; storage of single service
containers, utensils, and materials; protection from contamination; cooling of
milk; personnel cleanliness; and surroundings.
(3) An unloading station which receives milk
in milk tank trucks equipped with permanently installed tank washers will
provide a milk tank truck cleaning facility equipped with the following:
(A) adequate water heating
facilities;
(B) tanks of an
adequate size to hold the rinse, wash, and sanitizing solution;
(C) a wash pump which will deliver the
cleaning and sanitizing solution to the milk-contact surface of the milk tank
truck at an adequate rate and velocity;
(D) a removal pump which will remove rinse
and cleaning solutions from the milk tank truck as fast as such solutions are
pumped into the milk tank truck;
(E) a screening device shall be provided
which will prevent the passage of any foreign material into the system that
would adversely affect the performance of the spray device(s), and located so
as to be easily cleaned and sanitized;
(F) a temperature recorder which meets the
applicable requirements of the most current revision of the "Grade A
Pasteurized Milk Ordinance" shall be provided. In addition, a pressure
indicator should be provided. These may be an integral unit or separate units.
The temperature sensor should be located in the return solution line. The
pressure sensor shall be located in the solution-rinse line downstream from the
pressure supply pump. Recording charts shall be properly identified (showing
date, permit number of transportation tank cleaned, operator's initials, etc.)
and kept on file for not less than 90 days;
(G) the necessary equipment shall be provided
for the cleaning of transport tank pumps, gaskets, hoses, etc., which do not
clean in place (CIP). Equipment shall be provided to clean the hoses by
circulation of cleaning solution in conjunction with the clean-out-of-place
(COP) vat that is equipped with a temperature recorder which meets the
applicable requirements of the most current revision of the "Grade A
Pasteurized Milk Ordinance;" however, if an integrated CIP system designed to
clean transport tanker, milk pumps, gaskets, hoses and appurtenances, by
circulation is provided, the following criteria must be met:
(i) a temperature recorder that complies with
the applicable requirements of the most current revision of the "Grade A
Pasteurized Milk Ordinance" and a pressure recorder shall be
provided;
(ii) the extended tube
holder for cleaning milk hoses and receiving hoses shall be of adequate length
to accommodate hoses of 35 feet maximum length;
(iii) the CIP system shall provide a cleaning
regimen for a pre-rinse, wash, post-rinse and sanitizing of the transport
tanker, milk pumps, gaskets, hoses, receiving hose, and
appurtenances;
(iv) the CIP system
shall be capable of a minimum wash temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit and
minimum circulation flow rate of five feet per second; and
(v) all equipment and utensils shall be in
compliance with the standards outlined in the current edition of the 3-A
Sanitary Standards and Accepted Practices at the time of
installation;
(H) all
equipment and utensils must be in compliance with the current edition of the
3-A Sanitary Standards and Accepted Practices at the time of installation;
and
(I) a cleaning regimen shall be
established and posted in the milk tank truck cleaning facility. This regimen
shall provide for a pre-rinse and sanitizing of the milk tank truck. The wash
solution must have a minimum temperature in the return line of 135 degrees
Fahrenheit.
(4) The
department may permit an unloading station to utilize a milk tank truck
cleaning facility equipped only with portable tank washing equipment (drop in
washers) or with the equipment and personnel necessary for manual tank
cleaning, providing the station can demonstrate the capability of effectively
cleaning and sanitizing the milk tank trucks. In no case will milk tank trucks
equipped with installed tank washers be unloaded into said unloading stations
without the permission of the department. This permission will be granted only
in emergency situations.
(5) The
milk tank truck and appurtenances shall be thoroughly cleaned after each use
and all equipment shall be thoroughly cleaned at least once each day used. It
is allowable to pick up multiple loads continuously within a 24-hour period,
provided the milk tank truck is washed after each day's use.
(6) The milk tank truck and appurtenances
shall be sanitized immediately after washing with an approved sanitizer. The
milk tank truck shall be sanitized by pumping the sanitizing solution through
the wash-rinse system. When the time elapsed after cleaning and sanitizing, and
before its first use, exceeds 96 hours, the tank must be
re-sanitized.
(7) A cleaning and
sanitizing tag shall be affixed to the outlet valve of the milk tank truck
until the milk tank truck is next washed and sanitized. When the milk tank
truck is washed and sanitized, the previous cleaning and sanitizing tag shall
be removed and stored at the location where the milk tank truck was washed for
a period of not less than 15 days. The tag shall bear the following
information:
(A) the milk tank truck permit
number;
(B) the date and time it
was cleaned and sanitized;
(C) the
name and location of the cleaning station; and
(D) the name of the person who cleaned and
sanitized the milk tank truck.
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