Virginia Law

A. Construction and installation.

1. New equipment shall meet applicable 3-A Sanitary Standards. Equipment and utensils coming in contact with milk, dairy products, mix or frozen desserts, including sanitary pumps, piping, fittings, and connections, shall be constructed of stainless steel or other equally corrosion-resistant material. Where the use of stainless steel is not practicable, or in old equipment, other properly coated or plated metals may be approved temporarily. Nonmetallic parts having product contact surfaces shall be of materials that meet 3-A Sanitary Standards, "Multiple-Use Rubber and Rubber-Like Materials Used as Product Contact Surfaces in Dairy Equipment," Number 18-03, and "Multiple-Use Plastic Materials Used as Product Contact Surfaces for Dairy Equipment," Number 20-21 (3-A Sanitary Standards, Incorporated).

2. Bulk storage and distribution equipment for handling liquid sweetening agents shall consist of suitable metals, alloys, or other materials which will withstand corrosive action by the ingredient; and the equipment and ingredients shall be protected from contamination.

3. All equipment and piping shall be designed and installed to be easily accessible for cleaning, shall be kept in good repair, and free from cracks and corroded surfaces. Milk pumps shall be of a sanitary type and easily dismantled, for cleaning or shall be of specifically approved construction to allow cleaning in place. New or rearranged equipment shall be set away from any wall or spaced in such a manner as to facilitate proper cleaning and to maintain good housekeeping. All parts or interior surfaces or equipment, pipes (except certain piping cleaned-in-place), or fittings, including valves and connections, shall be accessible for inspection. Cleaned-in-place sanitary piping and welded sanitary pipeline systems will be acceptable if properly engineered and installed according to 3-A Accepted Practices, "Permanently Installed Product and Solution Pipelines and Cleaning Systems Used in Milk and Milk Product Processing Plants," Number 605-04 (3-A Sanitary Standards, Incorporated).

B. Pasteurization equipment.

1. Pasteurization equipment shall comply with 3-A Accepted Practices, "Sanitary Construction, Installation, Testing, and Operation of High Temperature Short-Time and Higher-Heat Shorter-Time Pasteurizer Systems," Number 603-06 and 3-A Sanitary Standards, "Non-Coiled Type Batch Pasteurizers for Milk and Milk Products," Number 24-02 (3-A Sanitary Standards, Incorporated).

2. Heat treatment equipment used to reach temperatures higher than commonly used for pasteurization shall comply with appropriate sanitary construction and operating procedures approved by the State Regulatory Authority.

3. Whenever it is necessary to break a seal on such equipment, this equipment shall be properly adjusted and placed in correct operation immediately. The breaking of the seal and the adjustment made shall be reported immediately to the State Regulatory Authority in order that the equipment can be officially checked and resealed.

C. Cleaning and sanitizing.

1. Equipment, sanitary piping, and utensils used in receiving, storing, processing, manufacturing, packaging, and handling milk, dairy products, mix or frozen desserts, and all product contact surfaces of homogenizers, high-pressure pumps, and high-pressure lines shall be kept clean.

2. The packing glands on all agitators, pumps, and vats shall be inspected at regular intervals and kept clean.

3. After being cleaned, and immediately before use, all equipment coming in contact with milk dairy products, mix or frozen desserts shall have an effective bactericidal or sanitizing treatment.

4. Before use, equipment not designed for C-I-P cleaning shall have been disassembled and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Dairy cleaners, wetting agents, detergents, sanitizing agents, or other similar material may be used that will not contaminate or adversely affect dairy products. Steel wool or metal sponges shall not be used in the cleaning of any dairy equipment or utensils.

5. C-I-P cleaning shall be used only on equipment and pipeline systems that are designed and engineered for that purpose. Installation and cleaning procedures shall comply with 3-A Accepted Practices,"Permanently Installed Product and Solution Pipelines and Cleaning Systems Used in Milk and Milk Processing Plants," Number 605-04 (3-A Sanitary Standards, Incorporated). An outline of the cleaning procedures to be followed shall be posted near the C-I-P equipment.

6. Applicable equipment and areas in the plant shall be thoroughly vacuumed regularly with a heavy-duty industrial vacuum cleaner. The material picked up shall be disposed of by burning or other means to destroy any insects present.

7. Exhaust stacks, elevators, and conveyors shall be inspected at regular intervals and kept clean.