Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 51 - PUBLIC HEALTH-SANITARY CODE › Part VII - Dairy Products Regulations › Chapter 25 - Cheese Manufacturing Plants › Subchapter A - Supplemental Requirements for Cheese Manufacturing Plants › Section VII-2511 - Additional Requirements for Cheese Manufacturing Plants that Manufacture, Process or Package Unripened Cheese

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. Dairy plants that manufacture, process or
				  package unripened cheese shall conform with all of the requirements for cheese
				  manufacturing plants contained in this Part and shall conform with the
				  following additional requirements.
1. Milk
				  and milk products used in the manufacture of unripened cheese and related
				  products shall be from a Grade A raw milk for pasteurization source approved by
				  the state health officer.
2. All
				  milk and milk products used in the manufacture of unripened cheese and cheese
				  related products shall be pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized or aseptically
				  processed in accordance with the requirements for pasteurization,
				  ultra-pasteurization or aseptic processing contained in this Part.
3. Milk and milk products including
				  reconstituted milk or milk product shall be pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized or
				  aseptically processed in the plant in which the unripened cheese or cheese
				  related products are manufactured or processed, provided that the state health
				  officer may authorize cheese manufacturing plants that comply with the
				  requirements of
				  §2513 of this Part to manufacture or
				  process unripened cheese or cheese related products from milk or milk products
				  pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized or aseptically processed in other
				  plants.
4. Rooms and compartments.
				  Processing operations with open cheese vats in them shall be separated from
				  other rooms or areas.
a. Processing and
				  packaging rooms shall be adequately ventilated to maintain sanitary conditions,
				  preclude the growth of mold and airborne contaminants, prevent condensation,
				  and to minimize objectionable odors.
b. Starter rooms or areas shall be properly
				  equipped and maintained for the propagation and handling of starter
				  cultures.
c. Coolers shall be
				  equipped with the facilities necessary for maintaining proper temperature and
				  humidity, consistent with GMPs for the applicable product and to prevent
				  contamination of the products.
5. Packaging. Packaging of unripened cheese
				  and cheese related products shall be done in a sanitary manner with mechanical
				  equipment that complies with applicable 3-A Sanitary Standards.
a. Packaging materials for unripened cheese
				  or cheese related products shall provide sufficiently low permeability to air
				  and moisture and shall be resistant to puncturing, tearing, cracking or
				  fragmentation. Any materials used in the package or packaging that has contact
				  with product shall conform with this requirement. Approval of the state health
				  officer shall be obtained for all packaging materials prior to use.
b. Upright open containers and closures shall
				  be protected from contamination by overhead shields.
c. Single service containers and closures and
				  other single service articles for use in contact with dairy products shall be
				  of sanitary design and construction and from sources approved by the state
				  health officer. They shall be stored in their original containers or in
				  equipment designed for storage of single service articles, shall be kept
				  therein in a clean, dry place until used and shall be handled in a sanitary
				  manner.
d. Caps or covers which
				  extend over the lip of the container shall be used on all cups or tubs of two
				  pounds or less.
e. Capping or
				  closing of containers of two pounds or less shall be done in a sanitary manner
				  using mechanical equipment that complies with applicable 3-A Sanitary
				  Standards. Hand capping of such containers shall be prohibited.
f. A date, code or lot number that identifies
				  the date, run or batch from which the contents originated, shall be prominently
				  displayed on each final container (container that will reach the final
				  consumer) of dairy product in indelible ink (or equivalent). The date, code or
				  batch shall be printed on the container or label in such a manner that it
				  cannot be removed, changed or defaced.
6. The cheese manufacturing plant shall:
a. obtain a representative sample of each
				  batch or lot of cheese or related cheese product, manufactured or processed by
				  the plant. Normally, this shall be done by collecting a closed final container
				  of the cheese or the cheese related product, randomly selected, and perform or
				  have a coliform count performed on the sample;
b. perform the sampling procedures and
				  laboratory examination in substantial compliance with the procedures contained
				  in the
Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy
				  Products
;
c. record the
				  results of each test and retain the record for a period of one year after the
				  date that the product was produced. These records shall be made available for
				  review by the state health officer;
d. immediately take steps to determine and
				  eliminate the cause when the coliform count of a sample of product exceeds 10
				  per gm; and
e. maintain a record,
				  for review by the state health officer, of action taken to correct the cause of
				  each coliform count that exceeded 10 per gm. Such records that shall be
				  retained for a period of one year after the date the product was
				  produced.