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TITLE 25HEALTH SERVICES
PART 1DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES
CHAPTER 217MILK AND DAIRY
SUBCHAPTER CRULES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FROZEN DESSERTS
RULE §217.46Sanitation Standards for Frozen Desserts Plants

(a) Floors. The floors of all rooms in which mix, frozen desserts, or their ingredients are manufactured, processed, or frozen, or in which containers and utensils are washed, shall be constructed of concrete or other equally impervious and easily cleaned material, and shall be smooth, properly drained, provided with trapped drains, and kept clean and in good repair; provided, that cold storage rooms used for storing frozen desserts and cold storage rooms used for storing milk, cream, or milk products, frozen fruits, frozen eggs, and comparable ingredients need not be provided with floor drains but the floors shall be sloped to drain to one or more exits, and shall be kept clean and in good repair; provided that, dry storage rooms need not be drained and tight wood floor construction is optional. Provided further, that the construction requirements of this item shall be waived in the case of frozen desserts establishments, if that portion of the room in which the freezer is installed and the room in which containers or utensils are washed have floors of metal, durable grades of linoleum or plastic, or tight wood impregnated with plastic in lieu of concrete.

(b) Walls and ceilings. Walls and ceilings of rooms in which mix, frozen desserts, or their ingredients are manufactured, processed, or frozen, or in which containers or utensils are washed shall have easily cleanable, washable light-colored surfaces, and shall be kept clean and in good repair.

(c) Doors and windows. Unless other effective means are provided to prevent the access of flies, all openings to the outer air shall be effectively screened, and all doors shall be self-closing.

(d) Lighting and ventilation.

  (1) All rooms shall be well lighted.

  (2) All rooms shall be well ventilated.

(e) Miscellaneous protection from contamination.

  (1) Frozen desserts plant operations shall be located and conducted as to prevent any contamination of the ice cream, ice cream mix, frozen desserts, frozen desserts mix, or their ingredients, or of cleaned equipment.

    (A) All milk, milk products, cream, mix or frozen desserts that have been spilled, overflowed, or leaked shall be discarded.

    (B) All milk, milk products, cream or mix drained from equipment at the end of a run shall be handled in a sanitary manner and shall be re-pasteurized.

    (C) All necessary and appropriate means shall be used for the elimination of flies, other insects and rodents.

    (D) Rooms shall be free of flies.

    (E) There shall be separate rooms for:

      (i) pasteurization, processing, cooling, freezing, and packaging operations; and

      (ii) the washing and bactericidal treatment of multi-use containers.

    (F) Unless all milk, cream, mix or milk products are received in bulk transport tanks, a receiving room separate from rooms as defined in subparagraph (E)(i) and (ii) of this paragraph shall also be required; provided, that the requirement in subparagraph (E)(i) of this paragraph shall be satisfied when a frozen dessert manufacturer blends, freezes, and packages in a manner to prevent contamination; provided further, that frozen desserts, milk, milk products, and ingredients shall not be unloaded directly into the room or rooms used for pasteurizing.

    (G) Pasteurized mix or frozen desserts shall not be permitted to come in contact with equipment or containers with which unpasteurized mix, frozen desserts, cream, milk or milk products have been in contact, unless such equipment has first been thoroughly cleaned and subjected to a bactericidal treatment.

    (H) Rooms in which milk or milk products, cream, mix or frozen desserts are handled or stored shall not open into any stable or living quarters.

    (I) The milk plant, frozen dessert plant, containers, utensils, and equipment shall be used for no purpose other than the processing of milk, cream, milk products, mix, and frozen desserts, and the operation incident thereto, except as may be approved in writing by the department.

  (2) The pump-out of the transport tank shall be done in an area where a cover extends over the complete transport tank or, where 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.

  (3) The agitating and sampling of the transport tank milk shall be accomplished in such a manner as to provide maximum protection against product contamination. In no instance shall this be done at a place other than an approved unloading station.

  (4) The frozen dessert plant 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 or milk products when received;

    (E) the permit number of the truck delivering the milk; and

    (F) the name of the station operator receiving the milk.

  (5) If the frozen dessert plant is also utilized as the milk tank truck cleaning facility, the transport tank cleaning tag shall be removed and kept with the other records for a period of 15 days.

  (6) In no case shall milk or milk products be received from a transport tank that appears to be damaged, dirty, or does not have a cleaning tag attached without the written permission of the department.

(f) Toilet facilities. Every frozen desserts plant shall be provided with conveniently located toilet facilities conforming with the state, local and county ordinances. Toilet rooms shall not open into any room in which mix is processed or handled. The doors of all toilet rooms shall be self-closing. Toilet rooms shall be kept in a clean condition, in good repair and well ventilated. A sign directing employees to wash their hands before returning to work shall be posted in all toilet rooms used by employees.

(g) Water supply. The water supply shall be easily accessible, adequate, and of a safe sanitary quality.

(h) Hand-washing facilities. Convenient hand-washing facilities shall be provided, including hot and cold running water, soap, and approved sanitary towels. Hand-washing facilities shall be kept clean. The use of a common towel is prohibited. Employees shall not resume work after using the toilet room without washing their hands.

(i) Sanitary piping and fittings. All piping and fittings used to conduct milk, cream, milk products, mix or frozen desserts shall be of sanitary design and construction which meets 3-A Sanitary Standards and Accepted Practices. Mix, frozen desserts, fluid milk products, and ingredients shall be conducted from one piece of equipment to another only by sanitary piping and fittings.

(j) Construction and repair of containers, utensils, and equipment.

  (1) All multi-use containers, utensils, and equipment with which mix, frozen desserts, milk, cream, and milk products, and ingredients come in contact shall be of smooth, impervious, noncorrodible, nontoxic, relatively low absorbent material; shall be easily cleanable and shall be kept in good repair.

  (2) All single-service containers, closures, gaskets, and other articles shall be manufactured, packaged, transported, and handled in a sanitary manner.

(k) Disposal of wastes. All wastes shall be disposed of in a sanitary manner. All plumbing and appurtenances thereto shall be so designed and installed as to prevent the contamination of frozen desserts or any ingredient, utensil, container, or equipment by drip, condensation, or backflow.

(l) Cleaning and bactericidal treatment of multi-use utensils, containers, and equipment. All multi-use containers and utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned after each use and all equipment shall be thoroughly cleaned at least once each day of use, unless the department has reviewed and accepted information in writing, supporting the cleaning of multi-use containers and utensils at frequencies extending beyond one day or 72 hours in the case of storage tanks, or 44 hours in the case of evaporators, which are continuously operated. Supporting information shall be submitted to and approved by the department prior to initiating the qualification period if required. Any significant equipment or processing changes shall be communicated to the department, and may result in a re-verification of the extended run proposal, if it is determined that the change could potentially affect the safety of the finished milk or milk product(s).

(m) Storage of multi-use utensils, containers, and equipment. After cleaning, all multi-use utensils, containers, and equipment shall be stored to drain dry, and in such a manner as not to be contaminated before usage.

Cont'd...

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