| (C) Inhumane treatment of animals that is observed
by a department representative shall result in the attaching of a
"Texas Rejected" tag to the deficient equipment, facility structure,
or the stunning area causing the inhumane treatment. No equipment,
area, or facility so tagged shall be used until untagged or released
by the department representative.
(7) Marking and labeling of custom prepared products.
Carcasses and parts therefrom that are prepared on a custom basis
shall be marked at the time of preparation with the term "Not for
Sale" in letters at least three-eighths inch in height, and shall
also be identified with the owner's name or a code that allows identification
of the carcass or carcass part to its owner. Ink used for marking
such products must be labeled for such purpose. Ink containing FD&C
Violet No. 1 shall not be used.
(8) Requirements concerning procedures.
(A) Heads from animals slaughtered by gunshot to the
head shall not be used for food purposes. Such heads shall be denatured
in accordance with paragraph (10) of this subsection and placed into
containers marked "INEDIBLE." Heads with gunshot wounds may be returned
to the owner only after they have been freely slashed and adequately
denatured to preclude their use for human food.
(B) Cattle paunches and hog stomachs intended for use
in the preparation of meat food products shall be emptied of their
contents immediately upon removal from the carcass and thoroughly
cleaned on all surfaces and parts.
(C) Carcasses shall not be adulterated, as defined
in §221.12(b)(2) of this title, when placed in coolers.
(9) Requirements concerning ingredients. All ingredients
and other articles used in the preparation of any carcass shall be
clean, sound, healthful, wholesome, and will not result in the adulteration
of the carcass. A letter of guaranty from the manufacturer stating
that the ingredient or article is safe when used in contact with food
shall be obtained by the custom slaughter establishment and made available
upon request to the department representative.
(10) Denaturing procedures. Carcasses, parts thereof,
meat and meat food products that are adulterated or not returned to
the owner shall be adequately denatured or decharacterized to preclude
their use as human food. Before the denaturing agents are applied,
carcasses and carcass parts shall be freely slashed or sectioned.
The denaturing agent must be mixed with all of the carcasses or carcass
parts to be denatured, and must be applied in such quantity and manner
that it cannot be removed by washing or soaking. A sufficient amount
of the appropriate agent shall be used to give the material a distinctive
color, odor, or taste so that such material cannot be confused with
an article of human food.
(b) Custom processing requirements. The requirements
of this section shall apply to the custom processing by any person
of uninspected livestock carcasses or parts, delivered by or for the
owner thereof for such processing, not for sale to the public and
for the exclusive use of the owner, a member of the owner's household,
or a nonpaying guest of the owner. The requirements of this section
shall not apply to processing hunter killed game animals, as defined
in §221.12(b) of this title. The requirements of this section
do not apply to processing of hunter killed exotic animals, or hunter
killed feral swine, as defined in §221.12(b) of this title, provided
persons engaged in such processing do not utilize the same facilities
to engage in the receipt, storage, processing, or distribution of
other meat and/or poultry food products.
(1) Carcasses and parts for processing. No adulterated
carcasses or parts as defined in §221.12(b)(2) of this title
shall be accepted for custom processing.
(2) Record keeping.
(A) Operators of facilities conducting custom processing
shall keep records for a period of two years, beginning on January
1 of the previous year plus the current year to date.
(B) The records shall be available to the department
representative on request.
(C) Custom processing records shall contain the name,
address, and telephone number of the owner of each carcass or parts
presented, the date the carcass or parts were delivered, the species
and amount.
(D) Additional records such as bills of sale, invoices,
bills of lading, and receiving and shipping papers for transactions
in which any carcass, meat or meat food product is purchased, sold,
shipped, received, transported or otherwise handled by the custom
processor shall also be kept by the custom processor.
(E) If the custom processing establishment also maintains
a retail meat outlet, separate records, as listed in subparagraph
(D) of this paragraph, shall be maintained for each type of business
conducted at the establishment.
(F) Temperature monitoring records shall be maintained
by the custom processor, for heat treated or ready-to-eat products.
These records shall include the temperature attained and time held
during heating and the time and temperatures during the cool down
process.
(3) Sanitary methods. Custom processing establishments
shall be maintained in sanitary condition. Each custom processing
establishment shall comply with the requirements of 9 CFR, Part 416,
adopted under §221.11 of this title.
(4) Containers used for product; paper or other materials
in contact with product.
(A) To avoid contamination of product, containers shall
be lined with suitable material of good quality before packing.
(B) Containers and trucks, or other means of conveyance
in which any product is transported to the owner shall be kept in
a clean and sanitary condition.
(C) Boxes and any containers used as tote boxes shall
be clean and stored off the floor in a manner that does not interfere
with good sanitation.
(5) Tagging insanitary equipment, utensils, rooms,
and carcasses.
(A) A department representative may attach a "Texas
Rejected" tag to any equipment, utensil, room, or compartment at a
custom processing establishment that a department representative determines
is insanitary and is a health hazard. No equipment, utensil, room,
or compartment so tagged shall again be used until untagged or released
by a department representative. Such tag so attached shall not be
removed by anyone other than a department representative.
(B) A department representative that determines a carcass
is adulterated, unfit for human food, is from an unhealthy or unsound
animal, or may be a health hazard, may attach a "Texas Retained" tag
to the carcass and document the reason for attaching the tag on a
form specified by the department and deliver the form to the operator
of the establishment. The owner of the carcass shall be notified by
the plant operator and advised of the potential health risk. The custom
processor shall ensure that the owner of the carcass or parts either
authorizes the voluntary destruction and denaturing of the carcass
and all parts or agrees to remove the carcass from the custom processing
establishment. Under no circumstances may the carcass be further processed
at the establishment.
(6) Death by other means than slaughter. Carcasses,
or parts thereof, derived from animals that have died otherwise than
by slaughter. This includes animals, such as roadkill or animals that
have died by disease, trauma, or other accident, may not enter, or
be processed by a granted establishment.
(7) Marking and labeling of custom prepared products.
(A) Products that are custom prepared must be packaged
immediately after preparation and must be labeled with the term "Not
For Sale" in lettering not less than three-eighths inch in height.
Such custom prepared products or their containers shall also bear
the owner's name and any additional labeling such as product cut or
description.
(B) Safe handling instructions shall accompany every
customer's raw or not fully cooked products. The information shall
be in lettering no smaller than one-sixteenth of an inch in size and
may be placed on each product package, each tote box or bag containing
packaged product, or given as a flyer to the customer with the product.
The safe handling instructions shall be placed immediately after the
heading in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph and shall include the
following or similar statements.
(i) "Some meat and meat products may contain bacteria
that could cause illness if the product is mishandled or cooked improperly.
For your protection, follow these safe handling instructions."
(ii) "Meat and poultry must be kept refrigerated or
frozen. Thaw in refrigerator or microwave." However, any portion of
this statement that is in conflict with the product's specific handling
instructions may be omitted, e.g., instructions to cook without thawing.
A graphic illustration of a refrigerator may be displayed next to
this statement.
Cont'd... |
