(1) GENERAL. Food
shall be protected from contamination and decomposition while being processed,
handled, conveyed, or held at a food processing plant. Food shall be processed
and held in a manner which keeps the food in a safe, wholesome, and
unadulterated condition. Potentially hazardous foods shall be processed and
held at temperatures, or in a manner, which minimizes the potential for growth
of undesirable microorganisms.
(2)
FOOD STORAGE. Food storage areas shall be maintained in a clean, sanitary, and
orderly condition, free from conditions which may result in the adulteration of
food. Potentially hazardous foods shall be stored at safe temperatures. Storage
areas shall be constructed and maintained so that waste water and other waste
liquids do not drain into, or accumulate in, any storage area. Food shall not
be stored in a manner which may attract or harbor pests.
(3) FOOD PROCESSING.
(a) Food processing shall be conducted under
appropriate conditions and controls to minimize the potential for growth of
undesirable microorganisms, or the contamination of food.
Note: One way to comply with this requirement
is to follow a HACCP plan which monitors and controls food safety variables at
critical control points in the manufacturing process. Monitoring and
controlling food safety variables such as time, temperature, humidity, water
activity (a w), pH, pressure, and flow rate at critical control points can
ensure that mechanical breakdowns, time delays, temperature fluctuations, and
other conditions do not contribute to the decomposition or contamination of
food.
(b) If potentially
hazardous food is heated, refrigerated, or frozen in the course of processing,
the internal temperature of the food shall be accurately monitored, as
necessary, to ensure that safe temperatures are promptly attained and
maintained.
(c) Potentially
hazardous frozen foods, if thawed for processing, shall be thawed by one of the
following methods:
1. By placing the frozen
food in a refrigerated space at a temperature of not more than 41° F
(5° C).
2. Placing the frozen
food under potable running water, at a temperature of not more than 70° F
(21° C), for no more time than is needed to thaw the food. Water velocity
shall be sufficient to agitate loose particles and drain or float them away
from the food being thawed.
3. By
microwave heating, if the food is fully cooked in the microwave oven, or if
cooking is immediately completed in another cooking facility.
4. In any cooking facility, as part of the
process by which the food is fully cooked.
(4) BULK FLOUR HANDLING SYSTEMS.
(a) Food contact surfaces of bulk flour
handling equipment shall comply with the provisions of s.
ATCP 70.12(2). Pneumatic systems using
storage bins constructed of semi-permeable cloth material are exempt from the
requirement that surfaces be smooth and nonabsorbent, provided the surfaces can
be effectively cleaned. Attachment mechanisms for holding inspection port
covers, access doors, delivery pipe caps, or other removable accessories shall
have no loose parts. Delivery pipe caps shall be kept in place, and secured
against removal, except when a bulk flour handling system is in use. Outside
installations shall be watertight or suitably covered to prevent entry of water
and foreign material.
(b) Intake
air used in pneumatic flour handling systems shall be filtered to exclude
particles of 50 microns or larger. Air discharged from the system shall be
filtered so that no visible dust escapes. Filters shall be readily removable
for cleaning or replacement. Straight runs of pneumatic conveyors shall comply
with the provisions of s.
ATCP 70.12(1), except that piping which is
self-purging is exempt from accessibility requirements.
(5) RAW INGREDIENTS AND FINISHED PRODUCTS;
SEPARATE HANDLING. Effective measures shall be taken to prevent cross
contamination between raw ingredients and finished food products. Raw
ingredients shall not be handled simultaneously with finished products in any
part of a food processing plant if either the raw materials or the finished
products are uncovered or unprotected, and if the handling may result in
contamination.
(6) SALVAGING
DISTRESSED FOOD.
(a) In this subsection:
1. "Distressed food" means processed food
exposed to a fire, flood, transportation accident, refrigeration breakdown, or
other unusual condition which may affect its safety or suitability as human
food. "Distressed food" does not include food or food packages damaged during
normal conditions of food and food product handling, transit, or
storage.
2. "Reconditioned food"
means packaged distressed food distributed or offered for sale as human food
after its package is repaired or relabeled without being opened.
3. "Reprocessed food" means distressed food
subsequently processed in accordance with the requirements under this chapter
and distributed or offered for sale as human food.
(b) An operator shall notify the department
within 3 days after the operator takes possession of any distressed food, or
within 3 days after food in the operator's custody becomes distressed food. The
operator shall notify the department before the operator reprocesses or
reconditions the distressed food.
(c) An operator shall identify distressed
food as such, and shall separate it from other food. No operator may store
distressed food in a processing area, or under conditions which may lead to the
contamination of other food, equipment, utensils, or packaging
materials.
(d) No operator may do
either of the following:
1. Reprocess for
sale, as human food, any distressed food which is unwholesome or
adulterated.
2. Offer for sale,
sell, or distribute food in packages that are damaged to such an extent that
the food may have been exposed or subjected to possible contamination,
including packages with bulging ends, ruptures, hairline fractures, breakage
along critical seams, or openings which may have exposed food to
contamination.
(e) No
operator may sell or distribute reprocessed or reconditioned food at wholesale
unless the operator gives the purchaser or recipient written notice that the
food is reprocessed or reconditioned. The notice shall also include the name
and address of the person who reprocessed or reconditioned the distressed food.
The notice may be included on an invoice, bill of lading, or other
documentation of the sale or distribution of the food.
(f) An operator shall keep, for the period of
time set forth in
21 CFR
117.315, all of the following records related
to distressed food handled by that operator:
1. A description of the distressed food,
including the type of food, the package or container style, and the amount of
the food.
2. The source of the
distressed food, or the conditions which caused it to become distressed
food.
3. The date on which the
operator received the distressed food.
4. The nature of any reprocessing or
reconditioning which the operator performed on the distressed food.
5. The final disposition of the distressed
food if the distressed food was not sold directly at retail. That record shall
include the name and address of the person, such as the food wholesaler, food
distributor, waste disposal firm or waste disposal site operator, to whom the
food processing plant operator delivered the food.
(7) FOOD IRRADIATION. Irradiation
in the production, processing, and handling of food shall comply with
applicable federal regulations under 21 CFR part 179.
(8) EGG CLEANING AND STORAGE. Cleaning and
storage of eggs shall be done in compliance with the requirements of s.
ATCP 88.20.
