Title 21

SECTION 507.22

507.22 Equipment and utensils.

§ 507.22 Equipment and utensils.

(a) The following apply to plant equipment and utensils used in manufacturing, processing, packing, and holding animal food:

(1) All plant equipment and utensils, including equipment and utensils that do not come in contact with animal food, must be designed and constructed of such material and workmanship to be adequately cleanable, and must be properly maintained;

(2) Equipment and utensils must be designed, constructed, and used appropriately to avoid the adulteration of animal food with non-food grade lubricants, fuel, metal fragments, contaminated water, or any other contaminants;

(3) Equipment must be installed so as to facilitate the cleaning and maintenance of the equipment and adjacent spaces;

(4) Animal food-contact surfaces must be:

(i) Made of materials that withstand the environment of their use and the action of animal food, and, if applicable, the action of cleaning compounds, cleaning procedures, and sanitizing agents;

(ii) Made of nontoxic materials; and

(iii) Maintained to protect animal food from being contaminated.

(b) Holding, conveying, manufacturing, and processing systems, including gravimetric, pneumatic, closed, and automated systems, must be designed, constructed, and maintained in a way to protect against the contamination of animal food.

(c) Each freezer and cold storage compartment used to hold animal food must be fitted with an accurate temperature-measuring device.

(d) Instruments and controls used for measuring, regulating, or recording temperatures, pH, aw, or other conditions that control or prevent the growth of undesirable microorganisms in animal food must be accurate, precise, adequately maintained, and adequate in number for their designated uses.

(e) Compressed air or other gases mechanically introduced into animal food or used to clean animal food-contact surfaces or equipment must be used in such a way to protect against the contamination of animal food.