conspicuous manner with the word "RETAINED." Such lot(s) of product shall be held for reinspection or testing. Final disposition of the lot(s) shall be determined by NMFS and the removal of the "RETAINED" identification shall be performed by the inspector. [36 FR 21041, Nov. 3, 1971] § 260.104 Personnel. establishment management The shall be responsible for taking all precautions to assure the following: (a) Disease control. No person affected by disease in a communicable form, or while a carrier of such disease, or while affected with boils, sores, infected wounds, or other abnormal sources of microbiological contamination, shall work in a food plant in any capacity in which there is a reasonable possibility of food ingredients becoming contaminated by such person, or of disease being transmitted by such person to other individuals. (b) Cleanliness. All persons, while working in direct contact with food preparation, food ingredients, or surfaces coming into contact therewith shall: (1) Wear clean outer garments, maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness, and conform to hygenic practices while on duty, to the extent necessary to prevent contamination of food products. (2) Wash and sanitize their hands thoroughly to prevent contamination by undesirable microorganisms before starting work, after each absence from the work station, and at any other time when the hands may have become soiled or contaminated. (3) Remove all insecure jewelry and, when food is being manipulated by hand, remove from hands any jewelry that cannot be adequately sanitized. (4) If gloves are used in food handling, maintain them in an intact, clean, and sanitary condition. Such gloves shall be of an impermeable material except where their usage would be inappropriate or incompatible with the work involved. (5) Wear hair nets, caps, masks, or other effective hair restraints. Other persons that may incidentally enter the processing areas shall comply with this requirement. (6) Not store clothing or other personal belongings, eat food, drink beverages, chew gum, or use tobacco in any form in areas where food or food ingredients are exposed or in areas used for washing equipment or utensils. (7) Take any other necessary precautions to prevent contamination of foods with microorganisms or foreign substances including, but not limited to perspiration, hair, cosmetics, tobacco, chemicals, and medicants. (c) Education and training. Personnel responsible for identifying sanitation failures or food contamination should have a background of education or experience, or a combination thereof, to provide a level of competency necessary for production of clean wholesome food. Food handlers and supervisors should receive appropriate training in proper food-handling techniques and food-protection principles and should be cognizant of the danger of poor personal hygiene and unsanitary practices, and other vectors of contamination. practicable, all such equipment shall be made of smooth impermeable corrosion-resistant material that will not adversely affect the processed product by chemical action or physical contact. Such equipment shall be kept in good repair and sanitary condition. Such equipment shall be cleaned and sanitized at a frequency as is necessary or required in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations, 21 CFR Part 128. [36 FR 21041, Nov. 3, 1971] § 260.103 Operations and operating procedures shall be in accordance with an effective sanitation program. (a) All operators in the receiving transporting, holdings, segregating, preparing, processing, packaging, and storing of processed products and ingredients, used as aforesaid, shall be strictly in accord with clean and sanitary methods and shall be conducted as rapidly as possible and at temperatures that will inhibit and retard the growth of bacterial and other microorganisms and prevent any deterioration or contamination of such processed products or ingredients thereof. Mechanical adjustments or practices which may cause contamination of foods by oil, dust, paint, scale, fumes, grinding materials, decomposed food, filth, chemicals, or other foreign materials shall not be conducted during any manufacturing or processing operation. (b) All processed products, raw materials, ingredients, and components thereof shall be subject to inspection during each manufacturing or processing operation. To assure a safe, wholesome finished product, changes in processing methods and procedures as may be required by the Director shall be effectuated as soon as practicable. All processed products which are not manufactured or prepared in accordance with the requirements contained in § 260.96 to § 260.104 or are unwholesome or otherwise not fit for human food shall be removed and segregated prior to any further processing operation. (c) Official establishments operating under Federal inspection should have an effective quality control program as appropriate for the nature of the products and processing operations. (d) All ingredients used in the manufacture or processing of any processed product shall be wholesome and fit for human food. (e) The methods and procedures employed in the receiving, segregating, handling, transporting, and processing of ingredients in official establishment(s) shall be adequate to result in a satisfactory processed product. Such methods and procedures include, but are not limited to, the following requirements: (1) Containers, utensils, pans, and buckets used for the storage or transporting of partially processed food ingredients shall not be nested unless rewashed and sanitized before each use; (2) Containers which are used for holding partially processed food ingredients shall not be stacked in such manner as to permit contamination of the partially processed food ingredients; (3) Packages or containers for processed products shall be clean when being filled with such products; and all reasonable precautions shall be taken to avoid soiling or contaminating the surface of any package or container liner which is, or will be, in direct contact with such products. (f) Retention tags: (1) Any equipment such as, but not limited to, conveyors, tillers, sorters, choppers, and containers which fail to meet appropriate and adequate sanitation requirements will be identified by the inspector in an appropriate and conspicuous manner with the word "RETAINED." Following such identification, the equipment shall not be used until the discrepancy has been resolved, the equipment reinspected and approved by the inspector and the "RETAINED" identification removed by the inspector. (2) Lot(s) of processed products that may be considered to be mislabeled and/or unwholesome by reason of contaminants or which may otherwise be in such condition as to require further evaluation or testing to determine that the product properly labeled and/or wholesome will be identified by the inspector in an appropriate and conspicuous manner with the word "RETAINED." Such lot(s) of product shall be held for reinspection or testing. Final disposition of the lot(s) shall be determined by NMFS and the removal of the "RETAINED" identification shall be performed by the inspector. [36 FR 21041, Nov. 3, 1971] § 260.104 Personnel. establishment management The shall be responsible for taking all precautions to assure the following: (a) Disease control. No person affected by disease in a communicable form, or while a carrier of such disease, or while affected with boils, sores, infected wounds, or other abnormal sources of microbiological contamination, shall work in a food plant in any capacity in which there is a reasonable possibility of food ingredients becoming contaminated by such person, or of disease being transmitted by such person to other individuals. (b) Cleanliness. All persons, while working in direct contact with food preparation, food ingredients, or surfaces coming into contact therewith shall: (1) Wear clean outer garments, maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness, and conform to hygenic practices while on duty, to the extent necessary to prevent contamination of food products. (2) Wash and sanitize their hands thoroughly to prevent contamination by undesirable microorganisms before starting work, after each absence from the work station, and at any other time when the hands may have become soiled or contaminated. (3) Remove all insecure jewelry and, when food is being manipulated by hand, remove from hands any jewelry that cannot be adequately sanitized. (4) If gloves are used in food handling, maintain them in an intact, clean, and sanitary condition. Such gloves shall be of an impermeable material except where their usage would be inappropriate or incompatible with the work involved. (5) Wear hair nets, caps, masks, or other effective hair restraints. Other persons that may incidentally enter the processing areas shall comply with this requirement. (6) Not store clothing or other personal belongings, eat food, drink beverages, chew gum, or use tobacco in any form in areas where food or food ingredients are exposed or in areas used for washing equipment or utensils. (7) Take any other necessary precautions to prevent contamination of foods with microorganisms or foreign substances including, but not limited to perspiration, hair, cosmetics, tobacco, chemicals, and medicants. (c) Education and training. Personnel responsible for identifying sanitation failures or food contamination should have a background of education or experience, or a combination thereof, to provide a level of competency necessary for production of clean wholesome food. Food handlers and supervisors should receive appropriate training in proper food-handling techniques and food-protection principles and should be cognizant of the danger of poor personal hygiene and unsanitary practices, and other vectors of contamination. AUTHORITY: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1630. SOURCE: 42 FR 52750, Sept. 30, 1977, unless otherwise noted. Subpart A-United States Standards for Grades of Whole or Dressed Fish or § 261.101 Scope and product description. This standard shall apply to whole or dressed fish, whether fresh frozen, of any species suitable for use as human food and processed and maintained in accordance with good manufacturing practices. § 261.102 Product forms. (a) Types. (1) Fresh. (2) Frozen solid packs; glazed or unglazed. (3) Frozen individually; glazed or unglazed. (b) Styles. (1) Whole. (2) Dressed-eviscerated. (5) Skin-on scaled or unscaled; semiskinned (epidermis removed) or skinless. (6) Other (as specified). § 261.103 Grades-quality factors. (a) U.S. Grade A. Whole or dressed fish shall: (1) Possess good flavor and odor and; (2) Comply with the limits for defects for U.S. Grade A quality in accordance with § 261.104. (b) U.S. Grade B. Whole or dressed fish shall: (1) Possess reasonably good flavor and odor and; (2) Comply with the limits for defects for U.S. Grade B quality in accordance with § 261.104. (c) Substandard. Whole or dressed fish does not possess reasonably good flavor and odor and/or exceeds the limits for defects for U.S. Grade B quality in accordance with § 261.104. § 261.104 Determination of grade. ing for defects in accordance with paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of this section and using the results to assign a grade as described in paragraph (g) of this section. (b) Sampling. The sampling rate of specific lots for all inspections, other than for military procurement, shall be in accordance with the sampling plans contained in Part 260 of this chapter except that the sample unit is ten (10) fish for fish weighing up to 10 pounds. Fish weighing over ten (10) up to fifty (50) pounds-the sample unit shall be five (5) fish. For fish weighing over fifty (50) pounds, the sample unit shall be a minimum of three (3). (c) Evaluation of flavor and odor. (1) Evaluation of the odor on each of the raw fish in the sample unit shall be carried out as follows: (i) For the examination of small units, break the flesh or thawed sample either with the thumbs or by cutting with a knife in several places. Hold the cut or broken flesh close to the nose for evaluation. (ii) For the examination of large units, a core may be used. Drill a hole into the hard frozen fish with a highspeed quarter inch drill. As soon as the drill is withdrawn, the hole and drillings are smelled. (2) If the results of the raw odor evaluation indicate the existence of any off-odors, the sample shall be cooked by any of the methods set forth below to verify the flavor and odor. (i) Boil in bag method. Insert the sample into a boilable film-type pouch; fold the open end of the pouch over a suspension bar and clamp in place to provide a loose seal after evacuating the air by immersing the pouch into boiling water. Cook the contents for 20 minutes (until the internal temperature of the product reaches 160 degrees F.). (ii) Steam method. Wrap the sample in a single layer of aluminum foil, and place on a wire rack suspended over boiling water in a covered container. Steam the packaged product for 20 minutes. (iii) Bake method. Package the product as previously described. Place the packaged product on a flat cookie sheet or shallow flat-bottom pan of sufficient size so that the packages can be evenly spread on the sheet or pan. Place the pan and frozen contents in a properly ventilated oven preheated to 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes. (3) The amount of material to be cooked shall be based on the results of the raw odor evaluation. A minimum of 25 percent of the sample except that not less than 3 sample units shall be used. (d) Examination for physical defects. Each of the fish in the sample will be examined for defects using the list of defect definitions, and the defects noted and categorized as minor, major, and serious in accordance with Table 1. (e) Definitions of defects in whole or dressed fish. (1) “Abnormal condition" means that the normal physical and/ or chemical structure of the fish flesh has been sufficiently changed so that the usability and/or desirability of the fish is adversely affected. It includes, but is not limited to, the following examples: (i) Jellied-refers to the abnormal condition wherein a fish is partly or wholly characterized by a gelatinous, glossy, translucent appearance. (ii) Milky-refers to the abnormal condition wherein a fish is partly or wholly characterized by a milky-white, excessively mushy, pasty, or fluidized appearance. (iii) Chalky-refers to an abnormal condition wherein a fish is partly or wholly characterized by a dry, chalky, granular appearance, and fibrous structure. (A) Moderate-refers to a condition that is distinctly noticeable but does not seriously affect the appearance, desirability and/or the eating quality of the product. (B) Excessive-refers to a condition which is both distinctly noticeable and seriously objectionable. (2) "Appearance defects" shall refer to the overall general appearance of the fish (consistency of the flesh, odor, eyes, gills, and skin) and presence of excessive blood or drip and appearance of the package. (i) Slight-refers to an appearance defect that is slightly noticeable but does not seriously affect the appear ance, desirability, and/or eating quality of the fish. (ii) Moderate-refers to an appearance, defect that is conspicuously noticeable but does not seriously affect the appearance, desirability, and/or eating quality of the fish. (iii) Excessive-refers to an appearance defect that is conspicuously noticeable and that does seriously affect the appearance, desirability, and/or eating quality of the fish. (3) "Discoloration" refers to any color not characteristic of the species used. (i) Slight-refers to the area affected by discoloration of significant intensity involving up to 10 percent of the total area. (ii) Moderate-refers to the area affected by discoloration of significant intensity involving over 10 percent and up to 50 percent of the total area. (iii) Excessive-refers to the area affected by discoloration of significant intensity involving 50 percent or more of the total area. (4) "Dehydration" refers to loss of moisture from fish surfaces during frozen storage. For skin-on fish, dehydration shall be evaluated by degree of dullness and shrinkage. (i) Slight dehydration-is surface color masking affecting more than 3 percent of the area which can be readily removed by scraping with a blunt instrument. (ii) Moderate dehydration-is deep color masking penetrating the flesh, affecting less than 3 percent of the area, and requiring a knife or other sharp instrument to remove. (iii) Excessive dehydration-is deep color masking penetrating the flesh, affecting more than 3 percent of the area, and requiring a knife or other sharp instrument to remove. (5) "Surface defects" shall refer to the following where applicable: (i) Scales. An occurrence of attached or loose scales in any sample unit (where applicable). (ii) Blood spot. An accumulation of coagulated opaque, masses of blood on a fish. (iii) Fins or pieces of fin. An occurrence or absence of attached or loose fins or pieces of fin in any sample unit |