§ 59.218. Bottling and packaging.

 (a)  All milk and milk products, including concentrated milk and milk products, shall be bottled and packaged at the plant where final pasteurization is performed. Such bottling and packaging shall be done without undue delay following final pasteurization.

 (b)  All bottling or packaging shall be done on mechanical equipment. The term ‘‘mechanical equipment’’ shall not be meant to exclude manually operated machinery but is meant to exclude methods in which the bottling and capping devices are not integral in one system. Such equipment is subject to the approval of the Department.

 (c)  Bottling or packaging machines shall be designed to minimize the need for adjustment during operation. All pipes, connections, defoaming devices, and similar appurtenances shall comply with §  59.210 (relating to sanitary piping) and §  59.211 (relating to construction and repair of containers and equipment).

 (d)  Bottling or packaging machines supply tanks and bowls shall have covers which are constructed to prevent any contamination from reaching the inside of the filler tank or bowl. All covers shall be in place during operation.

 (e)  A drip reflector shall be installed on each filler valve. Such drip deflector shall be designed and adjusted to divert condensation away from the open container.

 (f)  Container in-feed conveyors to automatic bottling or packaging machines shall have overhead shields to protect the bottles or packages from contamination. Such shields shall extend from the bottle washer discharge to the bottle feed star or, in the case of single-service packaging machines, from the forming unit discharge to the filling unit and from the filling unit to the closure unit. Overhead shields shall be required on can infeed conveyors when the cans are fed to the filler with covers off.

 (g)  Container fabricating materials such as paper stock, foil, wax, and plastic, shall be handled in a sanitary manner and protected against undue exposure during the package assembly operation.

 (h)  Bottling and packaging machine floats shall be designed to be adjustable without removing the cover.

 (i)  The filler pipe of all bottling and packaging machines shall have an apron or other approved device as close to the filler bowl as possible to prevent condensation or drip from reaching the inside of the filler bowl.

 (j)  Filling cylinders on packaging machines shall be protected from contamination by the use of overhead shields. When any lubricant is applied to the filler pistons, cylinders, or other milk-contact surfaces, the lubricant shall be nontoxic and sterile and shall be sparingly applied in a sanitary manner.