[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 9, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 9CFR355.25]

[Page 403-404]
 
                  TITLE 9--ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
 
     CHAPTER III--FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF 
                               AGRICULTURE
 
PART 355--CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND IDENTIFICATION AS TO CLASS, QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND CONDITION--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 355.25  Canning with heat processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation.

    (a) Containers shall be cleaned thoroughly immediately before 
filling, and precaution must be taken to avoid soiling the inner 
surfaces subsequently.
    (b) The inside surfaces of containers of metal, glass, or other 
material shall be washed by spraying in an inverted position with 
running water at a temperature of at least 180  deg.F. The container 
washing equipment shall be provided with a thermometer to register the 
temperature of the water used for cleaning the containers.
    (c) Perfect closure is required for hermetically sealed containers. 
Heat processing shall follow promptly after closing.
    (d) Careful inspection shall be made of the containers by competent 
plant employees immediately after closing, and containers which are 
defectively filled or defectively closed, or which show inadequate 
vacuum, shall not be further processed until the defect has been 
corrected. The containers shall again be inspected by plant employees 
when they have cooled sufficiently for handling after processing by 
heating. The contents of defective containers shall be condemned unless 
correction of the defect is accomplished within six hours following the 
sealing of the containers or completion of the heat processing, as the 
case may be, except that (1) if the defective condition is discovered 
during an afternoon run the cans of product may be held in coolers at a 
temperature not exceeding 38  deg.F. under conditions that will promptly 
and effectively chill them until the following day when the defect may 
be corrected; and (2) short vacuum or overstuffed cans of products which 
have not been handled in accordance with the above

[[Page 404]]

may be incubated as provided in paragraph (i) of this section in the 
inspected plant under Program supervision, after which the cans shall be 
opened and the sound products passed.
    (e) Canned products shall not be passed unless, after cooling to 
atmospheric temperature, they show the external characteristic of sound 
cans; that is, the cans shall not be overfilled, the ends of the cans 
shall be concave, there shall be no bulging of the cans, the sides and 
ends of the cans shall conform to the products, and there shall be no 
slack or loose tin in the cans.
    (f) All canned products shall be plainly and permanently marked on 
the containers by code or otherwise with the identity of the contents 
and date of canning. The code used and its meaning shall be on record in 
the office of the circuit supervisor before use.
    (g) The canned products must be processed at such temperature and 
for such period of time as will assure keeping without refrigeration 
under usual conditions of storage and transportation as evidenced by the 
incubation test.
    (h) Lots of canned products shall be identified during their 
handling preparatory to and during heat processing by tagging the 
baskets or cages in which the cans are being conveyed, with a tag which 
will change color on going through the heat processing or by other 
effective means so as to insure the proper channeling of the products 
for effective heat processing after closing the cans.
    (i) Facilities shall be provided to incubate at least representative 
samples of the fully processed canned products. The incubation shall 
consist of holding the canned products for at least 10 days at about 98 
deg.F. The extent to which incubation tests shall be required by 
inspectors depends on conditions such as the record of the inspected 
plant in conducting canning operations, the extent to which the plant 
furnishes competent supervision and inspection in connection with the 
canning operations, the character of the equipment used, and the degree 
to which such equipment is maintained at maximum efficiency. Such 
factors shall be considered by the circuit supervisor in determining the 
extent of incubation testing at a particular plant. In the event of 
failure by an inspected plant to provide suitable facilities for 
incubation of test samples, the circuit supervisor may require holding 
of the entire lot under such conditions and for such period of time as 
may, in his discretion, be necessary to establish the stability of the 
canned products. The circuit supervisor may permit lots of canned 
certified products to be shipped from the inspected plant prior to 
completion of sample incubation when he has no reason to suspect 
unsoundness in the particular lots, and under circumstances which will 
assure the return of the products to the plant for inspection should 
such action be indicated by the incubation results.