Florida Administrative Code › 5 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES › 5L - Division of Aquaculture › Chapter 5L-1 - THE COMPREHENSIVE SHELLFISH CONTROL CODE › Section 5L-1.011 - Equipment for Shellfish Processing

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) All
				facility equipment and utensils shall be so designed and of such material and
				workmanship as to be cleanable, and shall be properly maintained. The design,
				construction, and use of equipment and utensils shall preclude the adulteration
				of food with contaminants. All equipment shall be so installed and maintained
				as to facilitate the cleaning of the equipment and of all adjacent spaces.
				Food-contact surfaces shall be corrosion-resistant, made of nontoxic materials,
				and designed to withstand the environment of their intended use and the action
				of food, and, if applicable, cleaning compounds and sanitizing agents.
				Food-contact surfaces shall be maintained to protect food from being
				contaminated by any source.
(2)
				Seams on food-contact surfaces shall be smoothly bonded or maintained so as to
				minimize accumulation of food particles, dirt, and organic matter and thus
				minimize the opportunity for growth of microorganisms.
(3) Equipment that is used in the
				manufacturing or food-handling area and that does not come into contact with
				food shall be so constructed that it can be kept in a clean
				condition.
(4) Three compartment
				sinks shall be properly installed, maintained and provided with hot and cold
				running water to all three compartments in establishments required to wash,
				rinse and sanitize food contact surfaces. Signs shall be posted indicating
				proper use of the three compartment sink. A three compartment sink shall be
				used for washing, rinsing and sanitizing food contact surfaces and shall not be
				used for hand washing. Shellstock shippers shall not be required to install or
				maintain three compartment sinks.
(5) Each freezer and cold storage compartment
				used to store and hold shellfish shall be mechanically refrigerated,
				nonportable and shall be fitted with an indicating thermometer,
				temperature-measuring device, or temperature-recording device so installed as
				to show the temperature accurately within the compartment, and should be fitted
				with an automatic control for regulating temperature or with an automatic alarm
				system to indicate a significant temperature change.
(6) Compressed air or other gases
				mechanically introduced into food or used to clean food-contact surfaces or
				equipment shall be treated in such a way that food is not
				contaminated.
(7) Blowers - devices
				which use compressed air to circulate wash water around and through shucked
				shellfish shall be properly designed and constructed as to be easily dismantled
				for cleaning, examination, and repair.
(8) Blowing time - blowing time shall not
				exceed 15 minutes.
(9) Depuration
				and wet storage tanks:
(a) Shall be designed
				to allow for good water circulation and prevent short-circuiting of the
				seawater. Tanks shall be designed so that scum and sludge, including shellfish
				feces and pseudo-feces, sand, and grit can be easily removed or flushed out.
				The bottom shall be sloped longitudinally at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch per foot
				toward the outlet end.
(b) Shall be
				constructed from impervious, nontoxic, food safe inert materials. Coatings,
				when used, may include epoxy resins, powdered polyesters, vinyl bituminous
				water-tank paint, and paraffin. These coatings are not only for waterproofing
				but should provide a smooth, hard, non-porous surface to facilitate proper
				cleaning and sanitation, as well as proper treatment of
				shellfish.