R70-320-13. Minimum Specifications for Licensed Dairy Plants

A. Building, Facilities, Equipment and Utensils.

1. Premises. The plant area and surroundings shall be kept clean. A drainage system shall be provided for rapid drainage of all water from plant buildings, including surface water around the plant and on the premises.

a. There shall be provided an area properly designed and constructed for the unloading and washing of bulk milk transport trucks. It will have a concrete floor sloped to a trapped drain.

(1) If the area is completely enclosed (walls and ceiling with the doors closed) during the unloading process and the dust cover or dome and the manhole cover is opened slightly and held in this position by the metal clamps used to close the cover then a filter is not required. However, if the dust covers and/or manhole cover is open in excess of that provided by the metal clamps or the covers have been removed, a suitable filter is required for the manhole.

(2) 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 and/or air inlet vent and suitable protection must be provided over the filter material either by design of the filter holding apparatus or a roof or ceiling over the area. Direct connections from milk tank truck to milk tank truck must be made from valve to valve and not through the manhole and the dust cover dome of the milk tank truck.

2. Buildings.

a. Construction and Maintenance. Buildings shall be of sound construction, and the exterior and interior shall be kept clean and in good repair to protect against dust, dirt, and mold, and to prevent the entrance or harboring of insects, rodents, vermin, and other animals.

(1) Outside doors, windows, skylights, and transoms shall be screened or otherwise covered. Outside doors shall open outward and be self-closing or be protected against the entrance of rodents and flies. Those leading to processing rooms shall be of metal construction. Window sills on new construction shall be sloping. Outside conveyor openings and other special type outside openings shall be protected by doors, screens, flaps, fans or tunnels. Outside openings for sanitary pipelines shall be covered when not in use; and service-pipe openings shall be completely cemented or have tight metal collars.

(2) All rooms, compartments, coolers, freezers, and dry storage space in which any raw material, packaging or ingredient supplies, or finished products are handled, processed, manufactured, packaged, or stored shall be so designed and constructed as to assure clean and orderly operations. Rooms for receiving milk shall be separated from the processing rooms by a partition or suitable arrangement of equipment or facilities to avoid contamination of milk or dairy products. Boiler and tool rooms shall be separated from other rooms. Toilet and dressing rooms shall be conveniently located and shall not open directly into any room in which milk, dairy products, or ingredients are handled, processed, packaged, or stored. Doors of all toilet rooms shall be self-closing, and fixtures shall be kept clean and in good repair.

(3) Plans for new plant construction or remodeling of existing plants shall be submitted to the Department for approval prior to such new construction or remodeling.

b. Interior Finishing. In all rooms, in which milk or dairy products are received, handled, processed, manufactured, packaged, or stored, except dry storage of packaged finished products, or in which equipment or utensils are washed; the walls, ceilings, partitions, and posts shall be smoothly finished with a washable material of light color that is impervious to moisture. The floors in these rooms shall be of concrete or other impervious material and shall be smooth, properly graded to drain, and have drains trapped. The plumbing shall be so installed as to prevent back-up sewage into the plant. On new construction or extensive remodeling, the floors shall be joined and coved with the walls to form watertight joints. Sound, smooth, wood floors may be used in certain packaging rooms where the nature of the product permits. Toilet and dressing rooms shall have impervious floors and smooth walls.

c. Ventilation. All rooms and compartments (including storage space and toilet and dressing rooms) shall be ventilated to maintain sanitary conditions, prevent undue condensation of water vapor, and minimize or eliminate objectionable odors.

d. Lighting. Lighting, whether natural or artificial, shall be of good quality and well distributed in all rooms and compartments. All rooms where milk or dairy products are handled, processed, manufactured, or packaged, or where equipment or utensils are washed, shall have at least 30 foot-candles of light intensity on all working surfaces; areas where dairy products are examined for condition and quality, at least 50 foot-candles of light intensity; and all other rooms, at least 5 foot-candles of light intensity measured 30 inches above the floor. Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes shall be protected against shattering and/or falling into the product if broken.

e. Laboratory. Consistent with the size of the plant and the volume and variety of products manufactured, an adequate laboratory shall be provided, maintained, and properly staffed with qualified and trained personnel for quality control and analytical purposes. It shall be located reasonably close to the processing activity in a well lighted and ventilated room of sufficient size to permit proper performance of the tests necessary to evaluate the quality of raw and finished products. A central or commercial laboratory that serves more than one plant and that provides the same services may be utilized.

3. Facilities.

a. Water Supply. Both hot and cold water of safe and sanitary quality shall be available in sufficient quantity for all plant operations and facilities. Water from other lines, when officially approved, may be used for boiler feed water and condenser water, if such water lines carrying the sanitary water supply, and the equipment is so constructed and controlled as to preclude contamination of any milk product or milk product contact surface. There shall be no cross connections between safe and unsafe water lines. Culinary water in the plant is to be from an approved source.

(1) Bacteriological examination shall be made of the plant sanitary water supply at least once every six months by the appropriate regulatory agency to determine purity and safety for use in processing or manufacturing dairy products.

b. Employee Facilities. In addition to toilet and dressing rooms, the plant shall provide the following employee facilities: conveniently located sanitary drinking water; a locker or other suitable facility for each employee; handwashing facilities, including hot and cold running water, soap or other detergents and sanitary towels or air driers, in or adjacent to toilet and dressing rooms and at other places where necessary for the cleanliness of all personnel handling products and self-closing containers for used towels and other wastes.

(1) A durable, legible sign shall be posted conspicuously in each toilet and dressing room directing employees to wash their hands before returning to work.

c. Steam. Steam shall be supplied in sufficient volume and pressure for satisfactory operation of each applicable piece of equipment. Steam that may come into direct contact with milk or dairy products shall be conducted through a steam strainer and purifier equipped with a steam trap and shall be free from any compounds that may contribute flavors or endanger health. Only non-toxic boiler compounds shall be used.

d. Disposal of Wastes. The plant sewage system shall have sufficient slope and capacity to remove readily all waste from processing operations. Where a public sewer is not available, wastes shall be disposed of by methods approved by the appropriate government agency. Containers for the collection and holding of wastes shall be constructed of metal or other equally impervious material, kept covered with tight-fitting lids, and placed outside the plant on a concrete slab or on a rack at least 12 inches above the ground. Solid wastes shall be disposed of regularly and the containers cleaned before reuse, and dry waste paper shall be properly disposed of.

4. Equipment and Utensils.

a. Construction and Installation.

New equipment shall meet 3-A Sanitary Standards designed for the intended use. Equipment and utensils coming in contact with milk or dairy products, including sanitary pumps, piping, fittings, and connections, shall be constructed of stainless steel or equally corrosion resistant material; except that, where the use of stainless steel is not practicable. Copper kettles for swiss cheese and copper evaporators and brass fillers for evaporated milk may be approved if free from corroded surfaces and kept in good condition. Wooden churns in use may be approved temporarily if maintained in good condition. Nonmetallic parts having product contact surfaces shall be of material that is resistant to abrasion, scratching, scoring and distortion, is non-toxic, fat-resistant, and relatively inert or non-absorbent or insoluble, and that will not adversely affect the flavor of the products.

(1) All equipment and piping shall be so designed and installed as to be easily accessible for cleaning and shall be kept in good repair and free from cracks and corroded surfaces. Milk pumps shall be of a sanitary type and easily dismantled for cleaning. New or rearranged equipment shall be set out at least 24 inches from any wall or spaced at least 24 inches between pieces of equipment that measure more than 48 inches on the parallel sides. (This shall not apply between storage tanks when the face of the tanks extends through the wall into the processing room.) All parts or interior surfaces of equipment, pipes (except certain piping cleaned in place), or fittings, including valves and connections, shall be accessible for inspection. Cleaned-in-place sanitary piping shall be properly installed and self-draining. Welded sanitary pipeline systems when used with C-I-P cleaning will be acceptable if properly engineered and installed.

b. Pasteurization Equipment.

Where pasteurization is intended or required, an automatic flow-diversion valve and holding tube, or its equivalent if not part of the existing equipment, shall be installed on all high-temperature short-time pasteurizing equipment to assure complete pasteurization. Equipment and operation shall be in accordance with 3-A Accepted Practices for the Sanitary Construction, Installation, Testing and Operation of High Temperature Short-Time Pasteurizers.

(1) Long stem indicating thermometers that are accurate within plus or minus 0.5 degrees F, for the applicable temperature range, shall be provided for determining temperatures of pasteurization of products in vats and for verifying the accuracy of recording thermometers. Short-stem indicating thermometers that are accurate within plus or minus 0.5 degrees for the applicable temperature range shall be installed in the proper stationary position in all high-temperature short-time and dome-type pasteurizers and all storage tanks where temperature readings are required.

(2) Recording thermometers that are accurate within 1 degree F plus or minus, between 142 degrees and 145 degrees F or in the case of 15-second pasteurization between 160 degrees and 163 degrees F shall be used on each pasteurizer to record pasteurization temperature.

c. Cleaning and Sanitizing. Equipment, sanitary piping, and utensils used in receiving, storing, processing, manufacturing, packaging, and handling of milk or dairy products, and all product contact surfaces of homogenizers, high-pressure pumps, and high-pressure lines shall be kept clean and sanitary. Stacks, elevators, conveyors, and the packing glands on all agitators, pumps, and vats shall be inspected at regular intervals and kept clean. Equipment coming in contact with milk or dairy products shall have effective bactericidal or sanitizing treatment immediately before use.

(1) Equipment not designed for C-I-P cleaning shall be disassembled daily and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Dairy cleansers, wetting agents, detergents, sanitizing agents, or other similar material may be used that will not contaminate or adversely affect dairy products. Steel wool or metal sponges shall not be used in the cleaning of any dairy equipment or utensils.

(2) C-I-P cleaning shall be used only on equipment and pipeline systems that are designed and engineered for that purpose. Installation and cleaning procedures shall be in accordance with 3-A Method for the Installation and Cleaning of Cleaned-in-Place Sanitary Milk Pipelines for Milk and Milk Products Plants.

(3) Areas and equipment which can't be cleaned with water in the plant shall be thoroughly vacuumed regularly with a heavy-duty industrial vacuum cleaner and the material picked up shall be disposed of to destroy any insects present.

B. Plant Operations.

1. Milk and Milk Products.

All milk and milk products, including concentrated milk and milk products, shall be packaged at the plant where final pasteurization is performed. Such packaging shall be done without undue delay following final pasteurization.

a. Pasteurization.

When pasteurization is intended or required, or when a product is designated "pasteurized", pasteurization shall be accomplished by heating every particle of milk or skim milk to a temperature of not less than 145 degrees F and cream and other milk products to at least 150 degrees F and ice cream mix to at least 155 degrees F and holding them at those temperatures continuously for not less than 30 minutes, or milk or skim milk to a temperature of 161 degrees F and cream and other milk products to at least 166 degrees F for not less than 15 seconds, and ice cream mix to at least 175 degrees F for not less than 25 seconds, or by any other combination of temperature and time giving equivalent results. The phenol value of the pasteurized product shall be no greater than the maximum specified for the particular product, as determined by the phosphatize test, Method II, of the latest edition of "Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists".

b. Cream for Buttermaking. Cream for buttermaking shall be pasteurized at a temperature of not less than 165 degrees F and held continuously in a vat at such temperature for not less than 30 minutes, or at a temperature of not less than 185 degrees F for not less than 15 seconds, or any other temperature and holding time approved by the Department that will assure pasteurization and comparable keeping quality characteristics. If the vat method of pasteurization is used, vat covers shall be kept closed during the holding and cooling periods.

2. Cooling.

Processed fluid milk products shall be cooled promptly after heat treatment to such a temperature as will adequately inhibit development or other deterioration of quality.

3. Storage.

a. Utensils and portable equipment.

Utensils and portable equipment used in processing operations shall be stored above the floor, in clean, dry locations, and in self-draining positions on racks constructed of impervious, corrosion resistant material.

b. Raw product storage.

All milk shall be held and processed under conditions and at temperatures that will avoid contamination and rapid deterioration. Drip milk from can washers or any other source shall not be used for the manufacture of dairy products. Bulk milk in storage tanks within the dairy plant shall be handled in such a manner as to minimize bacterial increase and shall be maintained at 45 degrees F. or lower until processing begins. This does not preclude holding milk at higher temperatures for a period of time, where applicable to particular manufacturing or processing practices.

The bacteriological estimate of commingled milk in storage tanks shall be 1 million per m. or lower.

c. Non Refrigerated Products.

Dairy products in dry storage shall be arranged in aisles, rows, sections, or lots or in such a manner as to be orderly and easily accessible for inspection and as to permit adequate cleaning of the room. Dunnage or pallets shall be used when applicable. Dairy products shall not be stored with any product that would damage them or impair their quality. Open containers shall be carefully protected from contamination.

d. Refrigerated Products. All products requiring refrigeration shall be stored under such optimum temperatures and humidity as will maintain their quality and condition. Products shall not be placed directly on the floors or be exposed to foreign odors or conditions such as dripping or condensation that might cause package or product damage.

e. Supplies.

Items in supply rooms shall be kept clean and protected and be so arranged as to permit inspection of supplies and cleaning and spraying of the room. Insecticides and rodenticides shall be properly labeled, segregated, and stored in a separate room or cabinet away from milk or dairy products or packaging supplies.

4. Laboratory Control Tests.

Quality control tests shall be made on flow samples as often as necessary to check the effectiveness of processing in order to correct processing deficiencies. Routine analyses shall be made on raw materials and finished products to assure adequate composition control. When applicable, keeping quality tests shall be made to determine product stability.

5. Packaging and General Identification.

a. Packaging. Dairy products shall be packaged in commercially acceptable containers or packaging material that will protect the quality of the contents in regular channels of trade. Prior to use packaging materials shall be protected against dust, mold and other possible contamination.

b. Butter liners shall be of approved plastic or waxed covered parchment or other material that may be approved by the Department.

c. General Identification.

Commercial bulk shipping containers for dairy products shall be legibly marked with the name of the product, net weight or content, name and address of processor, manufacturer or distributor, and plant license number. Consumer-packaged products shall be legibly marked with the name of product, net weight, or content, and name and address of packer or distributor.

C. Plant Licensing.

1. Qualifications.

Plant licensing requires compliance to specifications in Section 8a through 8c. In addition, licensing requires that

a. not more than 10 percent of the cans (including lids) shall show open seams, cracks, rust, milkstone, or any unsanitary condition;

b. where pasteurization is intended or required, and a high-temperature short-time unit is used, it shall be equipped with a flow-diversion valve and holding tube or its equivalent; and

c. a safe water line shall be provided with no cross-connections between safe and unsafe lines.