Georgia Administrative Code

A cottage food operator must register with the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Division before commencing operations. The application for registration must include the following: (1) The business name and home address of the cottage food operator; (2) A list of th…

(1) A person must not operate as a cottage food operator without registering with and obtaining a license from the Department. (2) The annual fee for the Cottage Food License will be $100.00. Registration must be completed annually for permitted cottage food operators, according …

Cottage Food Operators: (1) May only produce non-potentially hazardous foods. Examples of these foods include: (a) Loaf breads, rolls, and biscuits; (b) Cakes (except those that require refrigeration due to cream cheese icing, fillings, or high moisture content such as tres leche…

(1) A Cottage Food License will be issued following a review of the registration application, and upon completion of a pre-operational inspection of the cottage food operator's home kitchen to evaluate the kitchen facilities and ensure compliance with 40-7-19. (2) The Cottage Foo…

(1) The Department will conduct an inspection of the home kitchen of a cottage food operator: (a) Prior to issuing the Cottage Food License; (b) For the investigation of a consumer complaint; or (c) For the investigation of a foodborne disease outbreak, or other public health eme…

The Food Safety Directives are public health intervention strategies designed to limit the potential for foodborne disease outbreaks. Cottage food operators should follow these directives to help ensure the safety of their products. They represent the minimum best practices requi…

Labeling is required for Cottage Food Products, and the method will vary depending on the manner of sale: (1) Direct sale. For cottage food products that are custom sold to an individual consumer (ex. wedding cakes, birthday cakes, etc.) the following information must be on the p…

(1) For cottage food products that are individually packaged, wrapped, or otherwise containerized for sale, the cottage food operator should employ a food scale to ensure that the net contents of the consumer package is at least equal to the amount listed in the declaration of qu…

(1) Definitions. (a) "Commissioner" means Commissioner of Agriculture and/or his designated representative. (b) "Department" means the Georgia Department of Agriculture. (c) "Act" means the Georgia Food Act (1966 Ga. L. 195) as amended, and all regulations thereunder. (d) "Food" …

The following regulations will apply to a farm or farm mixed-type facility that meets the general provisions as outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Part 112.

The following definitions will apply in the interpretation and enforcement of this Chapter: (1) "Adulterated" will have the same definition as defined in O.C.G.A. § 26-2-26. (2) "Code of Federal Regulations" means the compilation of the general and permanent rules published in th…

The Commissioner or his duly authorized agent will have free access during all hours of operation and at all other reasonable hours to any farm, mixed-type facility, warehouse, or establishment in which produce is grown, harvested, packed, or held for introduction into commerce, …

(1) Produce determined to be adulterated or misbranded will be subject to embargo or condemnation and destruction. The Department may temporarily or permanently issue an order to embargo or condemn all produce or produce containers found to be adulterated or misbranded. (2) It is…

The Department may issue civil monetary penalties and seek injunctive relief against any person who violates any provision of this Chapter or any other applicable law or regulation enforced by the Department.

The following is hereby adopted by reference and therefore all applicable provisions become part of this chapter: (1) Federal Food Safety Modernization Act, Public Law 111-353; and (2) The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Part 112 Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packi…

(1) Prerequisite for Fresh Sprout Operation. A person may not operate a Fresh Sprouts Processing Facility falling under Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Part 112, Subpart M without a valid food sales establishment license to operate issued by the Department. (2) Form of Subm…

(1) Whenever any person or firm operating a Fresh Sprouts Processing Facility in this state obtains information of a positive test result that indicates the presence of a poisonous or deleterious substance, either from testing of environmental, in-process product, finished produc…

Any farm, mixed-type facility, warehouse, or establishment subject to any testing requirements in this Chapter must cause such required tests to be performed consistent and in accordance with testing standards and procedures outlined in Title 21 Part 112 Subpart M and the federal…

The Commissioner maintains the right to take necessary action, regardless of exemption status if: (1) A practice, condition, or situation on a farm or in a packing house is reasonably likely to lead to serious adverse health consequence or death from the consumption of or exposur…

(1) "Fresh crab" means a live, raw, or frozen raw crab which shows no decomposition. (2) "Crab meat" means the picked meat of the blue crab, callinectes sapidus, which has been thermally processed and removed from its shell by hand picking or other mechanical means approved by th…

(1) No person, firm, or corporation shall process or offer for sale crab meat that has been processed or cooked crab intended for human consumption without first obtaining certification from the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. (a) Requirements for the issue…

(1) The rules and regulations in this section shall apply to the operation of all facilities and persons certified in of this section. (2) The rules and regulations in this section shall apply to retail, wholesale, and other businesses and persons engaged in preparation, buying, …

(1) Plants in which crabmeat is picked and packed shall, to the extent feasible, be so located that they will not be subjected to flooding by high tides. If plant floors are flooded, processing shall be discontinued until after waters have receded and the facilities are cleaned a…

(1) Ice boxes must drain properly and have a non-porous corrosion resistant lining that does not leak. (2) The refrigeration rooms or ice box shall be large enough and so constructed that a full day's production, with ice, can be conveniently stored and equipped with an accurate …

(1) Only fresh crabs shall be accepted for processing. No crab plant shall pick crab meat from any interplant shipment of cooked crabs or portions thereof without special authorization from the department. (2) Fresh crabs and conch shall be cooked as soon as possible after receip…

(1) Crabs shall be cooked under steam pressure until such time that the internal temperature of the centermost crab reaches 235 degrees F(112.8 degrees C). Temperature shall be measured with an accurate registering thermometer having a range of 170 - 270 degrees F(77 - 132 degree…

(1) Cooked crabs, after removal from the retort must be moved immediately to a protected area to be air cooled to room temperature without being disturbed. (2) Cooked crab shall be stored in original cooking basket and must be placed under refrigeration at 40 degrees F (4.4 degre…

(1) The process of picking crabmeat shall be conducted in a sanitary manner and in such a manner as to prevent contamination. All cooked crab placed before a picker shall be picked before a new supply is delivered. (2) Picked crabmeat shall be delivered to the packing room at lea…

(1) The process of packing crabmeat shall be conducted in a sanitary manner and in such a manner as to prevent contamination. (2) Cans, lids, or other containers for packaging crab meat shall be clean, sanitized, single service, made of an approved material, and capable of being …

(1) Both recording and indicating thermometers shall be provided on all pasteurizing equipment, and serve as time temperature controllers. The bulbs of both thermometers shall be so located as to give a true representation of the operating temperature of the water bath. The recor…

(1) Crab meat for pasteurization shall be processed in compliance with existing rules and regulations for operation of a certified crab plant in Georgia. (2) Containers of crab meat for pasteurization shall be sealed as quickly as possible after the meat is picked. (3) The sealed…

(1) Crab meat for pasteurization shall be pasteurized within 36 hours of the time it is picked. The minimum pasteurization specifications shall be the raising of the internal temperature of the container of crab meat to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C) and holding at that temperature…

(1) The label used shall clearly identify the contents of the container as pasteurized crab meat. Whenever the term "crab meat" (or its equivalent) appears on the label, the word "pasteurized" shall be used in immediate conjunction, in prominent type. (2) Each container shall be …

Each owner of a certified plant producing cooked crab or crab meat shall keep on file a written product recall procedure. A copy of this recall procedure shall be provided to the department.

The owner or manager shall either personally or shall designate an individual whose principal duty shall be to supervise and be responsible for the compliance these rules and regulations.

(1) Samples of cooked crab or crab meat may be secured at any time or place by the department or its agent at the crab plant, after paying or offering to pay for such sample, for the purpose of laboratory analysis. (2) The department or its agent may also secure samples of cooked…

(1) When it has been determined by the Division that cooked crab or crab meat have not been stored, transported, handled, cooked, picked, packed or offered for sale in compliance with this Section, the cooked crab or crab meat shall be deemed adulterated. (2) Cooked crab, crab me…

(1) Cooked crab or crab meat shall not exceed Escherichia coli Most Probable Number (MPN) of 36 per 100 grams of sample or exceed a standard plate count of 100,000 per gram. (2) Pasteurized crab meat shall contain no Escherichia coli or fecal coliform. Samples of pasteurized crab…

(1) Other products which are received into the crab plant for further processing such as conch, and other crustacea shall be processed in accordance with good general manufacturing practices. (a) The processor shall meet all the requirements for plant design and sanitation set fo…