[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 9, Volume 2]

[Revised as of January 1, 2007]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 9CFR355.25]



[Page 413-414]

 

                  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;

 

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 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.



[[Page 414]]



    (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.