5L-1.012. Sanitary Operations

(1) General maintenance. Buildings, fixtures, and other physical facilities of the facility shall be maintained and kept in a sanitary condition and shall be kept in repair sufficient to prevent food from becoming adulterated within the meaning of this rule. Cleaning and sanitizing of utensils and equipment shall be conducted in a manner that protects against contamination of food, food-contact surfaces, or food-packaging materials.

(2) Cleaning compounds used in cleaning procedures shall be free from undesirable microorganisms and shall be safe and effective under the conditions of use. Compliance with this requirement may be verified by any effective means including purchase of these substances under a supplier’s guarantee or certification, or examination of these substances for contamination.

(3) Only sanitizing agents found in Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 178.1010, revised as of April 1, 2015, hereby incorporated by reference, online at http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-07009, will be used at recommended levels in shellfish processing facilities.

(4) Toxic cleaning compounds, sanitizing agents, and pesticide chemicals shall be identified, held, used and stored in a manner that protects against contamination of food, food-contact surfaces, or food-packaging materials. Test kits that measure the concentration of sanitizing solutions shall be provided and used for verifying the proper sanitizing solution concentration.

(5) No pests shall be allowed in any area of a shellfish processing facility. Effective measures shall be taken to exclude pests from the processing areas and to protect against the contamination of food on the premises by pests. The use of insecticides or rodenticides is permitted only under precautions and restrictions of product labeling.

(6) All food-contact surfaces, including utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment, shall be cleaned as frequently as necessary to protect against contamination of food.

(7) Non-food contact surfaces of equipment used in the operation of shellfish processing facilities shall be cleaned as frequently as necessary to protect against contamination of food.

(8) Single-service articles shall be stored in appropriate containers and/or in a clean dry location where they are not exposed to splash, dust or other contamination. Single-service articles shall be handled, dispensed, used, and disposed of in a manner that protects against contamination of food or food-contact surfaces.

(9) Sanitizing agents shall be adequate and safe under conditions of use. Any facility, procedure, or machine is acceptable for cleaning and sanitizing equipment and utensils if it is established that the facility, procedure, or machine will routinely render equipment and utensils clean and sanitized.

(10) Cleaned and sanitized portable equipment with food-contact surfaces and utensils shall be stored in a location and manner that protects food-contact surfaces from contamination.

(11) Any employee with a disease in the communicable stage which might be transmissible through food shall be excluded from working in any capacity in which the employee may come in contact with the shellfish or with food contact surfaces.

(12) The owner, facility supervisor, or designated representative shall require all employees to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water and sanitize their hands in an adequate handwashing facility before starting work, after each absence from the work station, after each work interruption and any time when their hands may have been soiled or contaminated.

(a) Where the same employee works in both the shucking and packing activities, the employee shall wash his hands thoroughly after entering the area.

(b) Any employee handling shellfish shall wear outer garments to protect shellfish from adulteration.

(c) Any employee handling shucked shellfish shall be required to wear an effective hair restraint, remove any hand jewelry that cannot be sanitized and secured, wear finger cots or gloves if jewelry cannot be removed, wear clean outer garments which are rinsed or changed as necessary to be kept clean.

(d) In any area where shellfish are processed and in any area which is used for the cleaning or storage of utensils, the owner, facility supervisor, or designated representative shall not allow employees to store clothing or other personal belongings, eat or drink, spit and use tobacco in any form.

(13) The facility supervisor or designated representative shall monitor the conditions and practices during processing to ensure, conformance with those conditions and practices specified in subsection 5L-1.005(8), paragraphs 5L-1.010(1)(a) and (b), subsections 5L-1.010(6) and (7), 5L-1.011(1), 5L-1.012(1)-(12), 5L-1.013(6), (7), (8), and (9) and 5L-1.014(5), F.A.C.

Rulemaking Authority 597.020 FS. Law Implemented 597.020 FS. History–New 1-4-87, Amended 8-10-88, Formerly 16R-7.015, Amended 7-3-95, 2-6-97, 6-23-99, Formerly 62R-7.015, Amended 8-9-00, 5-29-02, 3-23-17.