Pennsylvania Administrative Code

§ 59a.305. Personnel cleanliness. Employees shall wash their hands before beginning work and upon returning to work after using toilet facilities, eating, smoking or otherwise soiling their hands. Employees shall keep their hands clean and follow good hygienic practices while on …

§ 59a.306. Personnel health. A person affected with any disease in a communicable form or while a carrier of the disease may not be permitted in any room or compartment where milk and dairy products are prepared, manufactured or otherwise handled. A person who has a discharging o…

§ 59a.307. Protection and transport of raw milk and cream. (a) Equipment and facilities. (1) Milk cans. Cans used in transporting milk from dairy farm to plant must be constructed to be easily cleaned, and shall be inspected, repaired and replaced as necessary to exclude substant…

§ 59a.308. Raw product storage. (a) General. Milk shall be held and processed under conditions and at temperatures that will avoid contamination and rapid deterioration. Drip milk from can washers or another source may not be used for the manufacture of dairy products. Bulk milk …

§ 59a.309. Pasteurized, ultrapasteurized or aseptically processed and packaged products. Pasteurized, ultrapasteurized or aseptically processed and packaged products must conform with § 59a.2 (relating to definitions). When pasteurization or sterilization is intended or required,…

§ 59a.310. Composition and wholesomeness. Necessary precautions shall be taken to prevent contamination or adulteration of the milk or dairy products during manufacturing. Substances and ingredients used in the processing or manufacturing of a dairy product will be subject to ins…

§ 59a.311. Cleaning and sanitizing treatment. (a) Equipment and utensils. (1) The equipment, sanitary piping and utensils used in receiving and processing of the milk, and manufacturing and handling of the product shall be maintained in a sanitary condition. Sanitary seal assembl…

§ 59a.312. Insect and rodent control program. In addition to any commercial pest control service, if one is utilized, a specifically designated employee shall be made responsible for the performance of a regularly scheduled insect and rodent control program. Poisonous substances,…

§ 59a.313. Plant records. A milk plant shall retain adequate records of required tests on raw milk receipts. Records shall be available for examination at reasonable times by the Department. The following records shall be maintained for examination at the plant or receiving stati…

§ 59a.314. Packaging and general identification. (a) Containers. Containers must meet the following standards: (1) The size, style and type of packaging used for manufactured dairy products shall be commercially acceptable containers and packaging materials which satisfactorily c…

§ 59a.315. Storage of finished product. (a) Dry storage. The finished product must be stored at least 18 inches from the wall in aisles, rows or sections and lots, so it is orderly and easily accessible for inspection. Rooms shall be cleaned regularly. Care shall be taken in the …

§ 59a.316. Permits. Plant permitting requires compliance with the applicable requirements in this subchapter.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANTS MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING AND PACKAGING INSTANT NONFAT DRY MILK, NONFAT DRY MILK, DRY WHOLE MILK, DRY BUTTERMILK, DRY WHEY AND OTHERDRY MILK PRODUCTS § 59a.321. Requirements for rooms and compartments. Rooms and compartments must conform to § …

§ 59a.322. Dry storage. (a) General requirement. Dry storage of instant nonfat dry milk, nonfat dry milk, dry whole milk, dry buttermilk, dry whey and other dry milk products must conform with § 59a.315 (relating to storage of finished product). (b) Storage rooms. Storage rooms f…

§ 59a.323. Packaging room for bulk products. A separate room or area shall be provided for filling bulk bins, drums, bags or other bulk containers and be constructed to conform to § 59a.302 (relating to buildings). The number of control panels and switchboxes in this area shall b…

§ 59a.324. Hopper or dump room. A separate room shall be provided for the transfer of bulk dry dairy products from bags or drums to the hoppers and conveyors which lead to the fillers. The room must meet the same requirements for construction and facilities as the bulk packaging …

§ 59a.325. Repackaging room. A separate room shall be provided for the filling of small packages and must meet the same requirements for construction and facilities as the bulk packaging operation.

§ 59a.326. Equipment and utensils. Equipment and utensils must conform with § 59a.304 (relating to equipment and utensils). Additional, more specific requirements are applicable to the items of equipment listed in § § 59a.327—59a.341.

§ 59a.327. Preheaters. Preheaters must be of stainless steel or other equally corrosion-resistant material, cleanable, accessible for inspection and equipped with suitable automatic temperature controls. Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 59a.326 (relating to equ…

§ 59a.328. Hotwells. Hotwells must be enclosed or covered and equipped with indicating thermometers either in the hotwell or in the hot milk inlet line to the hotwell and if used for holding high heat products must also have recorders. Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa.…

§ 59a.329. Evaporators or vacuum pans, or both. Open-type evaporators or vacuum pans, or both, must be equipped with an automatic condenser water level control, barometric leg, or constructed to prevent water from entering the product, and meet the applicable 3-A Sanitary Standar…

§ 59a.330. Surge tanks. If surge tanks are used for hot milk and temperatures of products including foam being held in the surge tank during processing is not maintained at a minimum of 150° F, two or more surge tanks shall be installed with cross connections to permit flushing a…

§ 59a.331. High pressure pumps and lines. High pressure lines may be cleaned in place and must be constructed so that deadends, valves and the high pressure pumps can be disassembled for hand cleaning. New high pressure pumps must meet the current 3-A Sanitary Standard Covering H…

§ 59a.332. Dryers. (a) Spray dryers. Spray dryers must conform to the current 3-A Accepted Practices for Spray Drying Systems. The filtering system shall be cleaned or component parts replaced as often as necessary to maintain a clean and adequate air supply. In gas-fired dryers,…

§ 59a.333. Collectors and conveyors. Collectors must be made of stainless steel or equally noncorrosive material and constructed to facilitate cleaning and inspection. Filter sack collectors, if used, must comply with the current 3-A Sanitary Standards for Bag Collectors. Conveyo…

§ 59a.334. Dry dairy product cooling equipment. Cooling equipment shall be provided with sufficient capacity to cool the products to 110° F or lower immediately after removal from dryer and prior to packaging. If bulk bins are used, the product should be cooled to approximately 9…

§ 59a.335. Special treatment equipment. Special equipment, such as flakers, pulverizers or hammer mills, used to further process dry milk products must be of sanitary construction and parts must be accessible for cleaning and inspection. Instantizing systems must comply with the …

§ 59a.336. Sifters. Newly installed sifters used for dry milk and dry milk products must meet the current 3-A Sanitary Standards for Sifters for Dry Products. Other sifters must be constructed of stainless steel or other equally noncorrosive material and must be of sanitary const…

§ 59a.337. Portable and stationary bulk bins. Bulk bins must be constructed of stainless steel, aluminum or other equally corrosion-resistant materials, free from cracks and seams and have an interior surface that is relatively smooth and easily cleanable. Product contact surface…

§ 59a.338. Automatic sampling device. When automatic sampling devices are used, they must be constructed to prevent contamination of the product, and parts must be readily accessible for cleaning. Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 59a.326 (relating to equipment …

§ 59a.339. Dump hoppers, screens and mixers. The product contact surfaces of dump hoppers, screens and mixers which are used in the process of transferring dry products from bulk containers to fillers for small packages or containers must be of stainless steel or equally corrosio…

§ 59a.340. Filler and packaging equipment. Filling and packaging equipment must comply with the current 3-A Sanitary Standards for Equipment for Packaging Dry Milk and Dry Milk Products. Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 59a.326 (relating to equipment and utensi…

§ 59a.341. Heavy duty vacuum cleaners. Each plant handling dry milk products must be equipped with a heavy duty industrial vacuum cleaner. Regular scheduling shall be established for its use in vacuuming applicable areas. Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 59a.32…

§ 59a.342. Clothing and shoe covers. Clean clothing and shoe covers must be provided exclusively for the purpose of cleaning the interior of the dryer when it is necessary to enter the dryer to perform the cleaning operation.

§ 59a.343. Operations and operating procedures: Pasteurization. (a) Pasteurization. Milk, buttermilk and whey used in the manufacture of dry dairy products shall be pasteurized at the plant where dried, except that condensed whey and acidified buttermilk containing 40% or more so…

§ 59a.344. Operations and operating procedures: Condensed surge supply. Surge tanks or balance tanks if used between the evaporators and dryer shall be used to hold the minimum amount of condensed product necessary for a uniform flow to the dryers. The tanks holding products at t…

§ 59a.345. Operations and operating procedures: Condensed storage tanks. (a) Excess production. Excess production of condensed products over that which the dryer will take continuously from the evaporator or pans should be by-passed through a cooler into a storage tank at 50° F o…

§ 59a.346. Operations and operating procedures: Drying. Each dryer shall be operated at not more than the manufacturer’s rated capacity for the highest quality dry product consistent with the most efficient operation. This does not preclude the remodeling or redesigning of dryers…

§ 59a.347. Operations and operating procedures: Cooling dry products. Prior to packaging and immediately following removal from the drying chamber, the dry product shall be cooled to a temperature not exceeding 110° F.

§ 59a.348. Operations and operating procedures: Packaging, repackaging and storage. (a) Containers. Packages or containers used for the packaging of nonfat dry milk or other dry milk products must be any clean, sound, commercially accepted container or packaging material which sa…

§ 59a.349. Operations and operating procedures: Product adulteration. Necessary precautions shall be taken throughout the entire operation to prevent the adulteration of one product with another. The commingling of one type of liquid or dry product with another shall be considere…

§ 59a.350. Operations and operating procedures: Checking quality. Milk, manufactured dairy products and dry milk products shall be subject to inspection and analysis by the plant for quality and condition throughout each processing operation. Line samples shall be taken periodica…

§ 59a.351. Operations and operating procedures: Requirements for instant nonfat dry milk. (a) Sampling and testing. Instant nonfat dry milk offered for sale shall be sampled and tested by an approved laboratory at least once each month for the purpose of assuring that the product…

§ 59a.352. Operations and operating procedures: Cleaning of dryers, conveyors, sifters and storage bins. Dryers, conveyors, sifters and storage bins shall be cleaned as often as necessary to maintain the equipment in a clean and sanitary condition. The kind of cleaning procedure—…

§ 59a.353. Operations and operating procedures: Insect and rodent control program. In addition to any commercial pest control service, if one is utilized, a specifically designated employee shall be made responsible for the performance of a regularly scheduled insect and rodent c…

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS FORPLANTS MANUFACTURING, PROCESSINGAND PACKAGING BUTTER ANDRELATED PRODUCTS § 59a.361. Rooms and compartments. (a) Coolers and freezers. The coolers and freezers must be equipped with facilities for maintaining proper temperature and humidity conditions,…

§ 59a.362. Equipment and utensils. (a) General construction, repair and installation. Equipment and utensils necessary to the manufacture of butter and related products must meet requirements in § 59a.304 (relating to equipment and utensils). (b) Continuous churn. Product contact…