N.J. Admin. Code § 8:21-13.9

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 12, June 17, 2024

Section 8:21-13.9 - Production and process controls

(a) All operations in the receiving, inspecting, transporting, packaging, segregating, preparing, processing, and storing of food shall be conducted in accord with adequate sanitation principles. Overall sanitation of the plant shall be under the supervision of an individual assigned responsibility for this function. All reasonable precautions, including the following, shall be taken to assure that production procedures do not contribute contamination such as filth, harmful chemicals, undesirable microorganisms, or any other objectionable material to the processed product.

(b) Raw materials and ingredients shall be inspected and segregated as necessary to assure that they are clean, wholesome, and fit for processing into food and shall be stored under conditions that will protect against contamination and minimize deterioration. Raw materials shall be washed or cleaned as required to remove soil or other contamination. Water used for washing, rinsing, or conveying of food products shall be of approved quality, and water shall not be reused for washing, rinsing, or conveying products in a manner that may result in contamination of food products.

(c) Containers and carriers of raw ingredients shall be inspected on receipt to assure that their condition has not contributed to the contamination or deterioration of the products.

(d) When ice is used in contact with food products, it shall be made from potable water and shall be used only if it has been manufactured in accordance with accepted standards and stored, transported, and handled in a sanitary manner.

(e) Food processing areas and equipment used for processing human food shall not be used to process nonhuman food-grade animal feed or inedible products unless there is no reasonable possibility for the contamination of the human food.

(f) Processing equipment shall be maintained in a sanitary condition through frequent cleaning including sanitization where indicated. Insofar, as necessary, equipment shall be taken apart for thorough cleaning.

(g) All food processing, including packaging and storage, shall be conducted under such conditions and controls as are necessary to minimize the potential for undesirable bacterial or other microbiological growth, toxin formation, or deterioration or contamination of the processed product or ingredients. This may require careful monitoring of such physical factors as time, temperature, humidity, pressure, flow-rate and such processing operations as freezing, dehydration, heat processing, and refrigeration to assure that mechanical breakdowns, time delays, temperature fluctuation, and other factors do not contribute to the decomposition or contamination of the processed products.

(h) Chemical microbiological, or extraneous-material testing procedures shall be utilized where necessary to identify sanitation failures or food contamination, and all foods and ingredients that have become contaminated shall be rejected or treated or processed to eliminate the contamination where this may be effectively accomplished.

(i) Packaging processes and materials shall not transmit contaminants or objectionable substances to the products and shall provide adequate protection from contamination.

(j) Meaningful coding of products sold or otherwise distributed from a manufacturing, processing, packing, or repacking activity shall be utilized to enable positive lot identification to facilitate, where necessary, the segregation of specific food lots that may have become contaminated or otherwise unfit for their intended use. Records shall be retained for a period of time that exceeds the shelf life of the product, except that they need not be retained more than two years.

(k) Storage and transportation of finished products shall be under such conditions as will prevent contamination, including development of pathogenic or toxigenic microorganisms, and will protect against undesirable deterioration of the product and the container. All potentially hazardous food shall be kept at the 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below or 140 degrees Fahrenheit or above, and frozen foods at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit during transportation, provided that, cold food may be allowed to reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit and hot food may be allowed to reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit if they are to be consumed within one-half hour of plating. During transportation all food shall be in covered containers or completely wrapped or packaged so as to be protected from contamination and maintain safe temperatures except for hanging meats and raw agricultural products, which will be prepared for consumption in such a manner to remove the danger of possible contaminants. All food transportation vehicles, including carts, trucks, vans, and trailers shall be kept clean, free of vermin and in good repair.

(l) Perishable and potentially hazardous food shall be stored at safe temperature and in accordance with the standards set forth in 8:24-3.2.

(m) Containers of food shall be stored above the floor, on clean racks, dollies or other clean surfaces in such a manner as to be protected from splash and other contamination. Additionally, foods in bulk storage must be elevated four to six inches above the floor on racks or dollies and aisles must be provided between articles in storage and walls, and masses of foods must be broken down into manageable cells with aisles to allow for cleaning and inspection and to prevent insect and rodent harborage.

1. Foods in bulk storage shall be stored at least 12 inches from each wall and there shall be a white inspection strip on the floor along each wall where food is stored.

2. Foods packaged in cans, glass or other vermin-proof containers sealed in shipping cartons and stored on clean surfaces in rooms, the floors of which are not frequently washed or otherwise subjected to water, need not be elevated and aisles need not be provided if containers are in temporary storage for five days or less or stored on dollies, skids, racks or open-ended pallets, provided such equipment is easily removable either by hand or with the use of pallet moving equipment that is on the premises and used, and the areas are clean, and rodent, insect or other vermin harborages are not provided.

N.J. Admin. Code § 8:21-13.9

Recodified by R.1990 d.563, effective 11/19/1990.
See: 22 New Jersey Register 2465(a), 22 New Jersey Register 3559(a).
Text on production and process controls recodified from 13.9; text on emergency occurrences recodified to 13.10.
Amended by R.2000 d.427, effective 10/16/2000.
See: 32 New Jersey Register 2386(a), 32 New Jersey Register 3831(a).
Former (n) recodified to N.J.A.C. 8:21-13.10; and former (o) recodified to 8:21-13.11.