West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 61 - Agriculture › Title 61 - LEGISLATIVE RULE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE › Series 61-23A - WV Fish Processing Rules › Section 61-23A-14 - Product Management

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
14.1. The
				evisceration of fish shall be conducted in an area segregated or separate from
				other processing operations. The evisceration shall be performed with minimal
				disturbance of the fish' intestinal tract contents. The fish, including the
				body cavity, shall be washed thoroughly with a vigorous spray or a continuous
				water flow system immediately following evisceration.
14.2. Sanitary zones shall be established
				around areas where unpackaged cooked or smoked product is handled and stored.
				Objects and employees that have come into contact with waste, raw product, or
				other insanitary objects shall be excluded from these areas.
14.3. Packaging material, equipment,
				employees, and in-process materials that enter a sanitary zone shall be treated
				in a manner that will minimize the risk of the introduction of
				microorganisms.
14.4. All
				operations including receiving, processing, and packaging shall be conducted
				utilizing clean and sanitary methods and shall be conducted as rapidly as
				practical and at temperatures that will not cause any material increase in
				bacterial or other microorganic content or any deterioration or contamination
				of the processed fish.
14.5.
				Unpackaged cooked ready-to-eat and smoked fish or fishery products shall be
				handled only with clean and sanitized hands, gloves or utensils. These products
				shall be handled with a minimum of manual contact.
14.6. Unprocessed fish, raw fish and fishery
				products, cooked ready-to-eat fishery products, smoked fishery products, and
				raw molluscan shellfish shall be physically separated from each other during
				refrigerated storage to minimize the possibility of cross
				contamination.
14.7. Refrigeration
				units used to store fish, fishery products, or raw materials during any stage
				before and during processing shall operate at a temperature at or below 40EF
				(4.4EC). All processed fish shall be distributed and sold at internal
				temperatures that do not exceed 40EF (4.4EC) except that processed fish that
				have a water-phase salt level of at least 17 percent do not require
				refrigeration.
14.8. Fish and
				fishery products shall be protected against contamination including
				contaminants which may drip, drain, or be drawn into the product before, during
				and after processing.
14.10.
				Shipping containers, retail packages, and shipping records relating to
				processed fish shall indicate by appropriate labeling, the perishable nature of
				the product. Frozen product shall indicate that the product shall remain frozen
				until thawed at refrigerated temperatures and shall not be refrozen.
				Refrigerated product shall clearly and conspicuously state "Keep Refrigerated
				at 40EF or below".
14.11. Each
				container of fishery product processed in accordance with the provisions of
				this rule shall have an establishment number which is legible and permanently
				marked. This establishment number shall identify the plant where the product
				was produced. Each container of fishery products shall have a lot number which
				is legible and permanently marked. This lot number shall identify the date the
				product was produced.
14.12.
				Brining shall be carried out so the temperature of the brine does not exceed
				60E F at the start of brining. If the brining time exceeds four hours, the
				brining must take place in a refrigerated area at 40E F or lower.
14.13. Different species of fish shall not be
				mixed in the same brining tank.
14.14. For dry salting, the fish shall be
				returned to a refrigerated area of 40E F or lower immediately after the
				application of salt.
14.15. Fish
				shall be rinsed with potable water after brining.
14.16. For hot process smoked fish to be air
				packaged, a controlled process shall be used to heat fish to a continuous
				temperature of at least 145E F through out each fish for a minimum of 30
				minutes for fish brined to contain not less than 2.5 percent water phase salt
				in the loin muscle of the finished product.
14.17. For hot process smoked fish to be
				vacuum or modified atmosphere packaged, a controlled process shall be used to
				heat fish to a continuous temperature of at least 145E F through out each fish
				for a minimum of 30 minutes for fish brined to contain not less than 3.5
				percent water phase salt in the loin muscle of the finished product.
14.18. Cold process smoked fish shall be
				produced by a control process that utilizes a temperature monitoring system
				positioned within the smoking chamber to assure that all products do not exceed
				process temperatures in accordance with one of the following methods:
14.18.a. The temperature in the smoking
				chamber does not exceed 90E F during a drying and smoking period that does not
				exceed 20 hours; or
14.18.b. The
				temperature in the smoking chamber does not exceed 50E F during a drying and
				smoking period that does not exceed 24 hours; or
14.18.c. The temperature in the smoking
				chamber does not exceed 120E F during a drying and smoking period that does not
				exceed 6 hours for cold process sablefish.