§ 59.212. Cleaning and sanitizing containers and equipment.

 (a)  All multiuse containers and utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each use, and all equipment shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized at least once each day used; provided that the storage tanks shall be cleaned when emptied and shall be emptied at least every 72 hours. Storage tanks which are used to store raw milk longer than 24 hours and silo tanks used for the storage of raw milk which are installed after August 7, 1982, shall be equipped with a 7-day circular chart temperature recording device or a strip chart which moves not less than 1 inch per hour. Such recording device shall meet all the requirements for storage tank recording thermometers in Appendix H of the PMO.

   (1)  All milk tank trucks shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized at least once each day of use.

   (2)  Whenever a milk tank truck has been cleaned and sanitized, there shall be attached to the manhole lid and under the dust cover, a tag showing the tank identity, date, time, place and signature of the employe or contract operator doing the work unless the truck delivers to only one receiving unit where responsibility for cleaning and sanitizing can be definitely established without tagging. The tag shall be removed at the location where the tank truck is next washed and sanitized and kept on file for at least 15 days for review by the Department.

 (b)  Pipelines and equipment designed for mechanical cleaning shall meet the following requirements:

   (1)  An effective cleaning and sanitizing regimen for each separate cleaning circuit shall be followed.

   (2)  A temperature-recording device shall be installed in the return solution line to record the temperature and time during which the line or equipment is exposed to cleaning and sanitizing.

   (3)  Temperature-recording charts shall be identified, dated and retained for three months.

 (c)  Plants in which containers are washed manually shall be equipped with a two-compartment wash-and-rinse vat for this purpose. Such plants shall also provide a steam cabinet or individual steam-jet plate with hood for sanitizing of cleaned containers or, if sanitizing is done with chemicals, a third treatment vat.

 (d)  In plants utilizing automatic bottle washers, such washers must provide for bactericidal treatment by means of steam, hot water or chemical treatment.

   (1)  In soaker-type bottle washers in which bactericidal treatment depends upon the causticity of the washing solution, the caustic strength for a given soaking time and temperature shall be as specified in the following table listing combinations of causticity, time and temperature of equal bactericidal value for soaker tank or soaker-type bottle washers.

   COMBINATIONS OF CAUSTICITY, TIME AND TEMPERATURES OF EQUAL BACTERICIDAL VALUE, FOR SOAKER TANK OR SOAKER-TYPE BOTTLE WASHERS
(Based on NSDA specifications for beverage bottles)

   (2)  When caustic is so used, subsequent final rinsing of the bottles shall be with water which has been treated with heat or chemicals to assure freedom from viable pathogenic or otherwise harmful organisms, to prevent contamination of the treated bottle during the rinsing operation.

 (e)  All multiuse containers, equipment, and utensils shall be sanitized before use, employing one or a combination of the methods prescribed under §  59.111 (relating to utensils and equipment—sanitization). Assembled equipment shall be sanitized prior to each day’s run. Plants using chemical sanitizing methods shall possess appropriate testing equipment.

 (f)  The residual bacteria count of multiuse and single-service containers used for packaging pasteurized milk and milk products shall not exceed 1/ml of capacity when the rinse test is used or 50 colonies per 8 square inches (one per square centimeter) of product-contact surface when the swab test is used in three out of four samples taken at random on a given day. All multiuse and single-service containers shall be free of coliform organisms.

 (g)  Plants which utilize multiuse plastic containers for pasteurized milk and milk products shall comply with the following criteria:

   (1)  The plastic material from which the containers are molded shall be of safe material.

   (2)  The plastic material shall comply with the material specifications of §  59.211 (relating to construction and repair of containers and equipment).

   (3)  All containers shall be identified as to plant of manufacture, date of manufacture, and type and class of plastic material used. This information may be by code provided that the code is revealed to the Department.

   (4)  A device shall be installed in the filling line capable of detecting in each container before it is filled volatile organic contaminants in amounts that are of public health significance. Such device must be constructed so that it may be sealed by the Secretary to prevent the changing of its sensitivity functioning level. Models using an air injection system and with a testing device built into the detection equipment do not have to be sealed. To assure proper functioning of the system the operator must be able to adjust the sensitivity; however, those models utilizing an external testing device must be sealed. Any container detected by the device as being unsatisfactory shall be automatically made unusable to prevent refilling. In addition, the device must be interconnected so that the system will not operate unless the detecting device is in proper operating condition; provided that any other system so designed and operated to provide equal assurance of freedom from contamination and recognized by the Department to be equally efficient may be accepted.

   (5)  A standard shall be available for the use by the Department for testing the proper sensitivity functioning levels of the detection device.

   (6)  The containers shall comply with the applicable construction requirements of §  59.211. The closure for the container shall be single-service. Screw-type closures shall not be used.

   (7)  The container shall not impart into the product pesticide residual levels or other chemical contaminants in excess of those considered acceptable under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and regulations issued thereunder.

   (8)  The phrase ‘‘Use Only for Food’’ shall appear on all containers.

   This section cited in 7 Pa. Code §  59.251 (relating to receiving station requirements); 7 Pa. Code §  59.252 (relating to transfer station requirements); 7 Pa. Code §  59.253 (relating to tank truck cleaning and sanitizing facilities requirements); and 7 Pa. Code §  59.711 (relating to cleaning and sanitizing treatment).