§ 590.504 - General operating procedures.

§ 590.504 General operating procedures.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 85 FR 68679, Oct. 29, 2020.

Cross Reference

Link to a correction published at 85 FR 81340, Dec. 16, 2020.

Cross Reference

Link to a correction published at 85 FR 81341, Dec. 16, 2020.

(a) Operations involving the processing, storing, and handling of eggs, ingredients, and egg products must be done in a sanitary manner.

(b)

(1) Eggs and egg products are subject to inspection in each official plant processing egg products for commerce.

(2) Any eggs and egg products not processed in accordance with the regulations in this part or part 591 or that are not otherwise fit for human food must be removed and segregated.

(c)

(1) All loss and inedible eggs or inedible egg products must be placed in a container clearly labeled “inedible” and containing a sufficient amount of denaturant or decharacterant, such as an FDA-approved color additive, suspended in the product. Eggs must be crushed and the substance dispersed through the product in amounts sufficient to give the product a distinctive appearance or odor. Inedible product may be held in containers clearly labeled “inedible” which do not contain a denaturant as long as such inedible product is properly packaged, labeled and segregated, and inventory controls are maintained. Such inedible product must be denatured or decharacterized before being shipped from a facility.

(2) Undenatured egg products or inedible egg products that are not decharacterized may be shipped from an official plant for industrial use or animal food, provided that it is properly packaged, labeled, and segregated, and inventory controls are maintained.

(d) [Reserved]

(

e) Inspection program personnel may allow an official plant to move egg products that have been sampled and analyzed for Salmonella, or for any other reason, before receiving the test results, if they do not suspect noncompliance by the plant with any provisions of this part. The official plant must maintain control of the products represented by the sample pending the results.

(f) [Reserved]

(g) [Reserved]

(h) [Reserved]

(i) [Reserved]

(j) [Reserved]

(k) [Reserved]

(l) [Reserved]

(m) [Reserved]

(n) [Reserved]

(o) Egg products prior to being released into consuming channels shall be pasteurized in accordance with § 590.570 except that dried whites prepared from nonpasteurized liquid shall be heat treated in accordance with § 590.575.

(1) To assure adequate pasteurization, egg products shall be sampled and tested for the presence of salmonella. Sampling for the presence of salmonella shall be in accordance with § 590.580 and product found to be salmonella positive shall be reprocessed, pasteurized, and analyzed for the presence of salmonella, or denatured.

(2) Nonpasteurized or salmonella positive egg product

1) Egg products must be processed to meet the standard set out in § 590.570.

(2) Unpasteurized or microbial pathogen-positive egg products may be shipped from an official plant to another official plant only when

it is

they are to be pasteurized,

repasteurized

heat treated, or

heat treated in another

treated using other methods of treatment sufficient to produce egg products that are edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety in the second official plant.

Shipments of products

Official plants must maintain control of shipments of unpasteurized or microbial pathogen-positive egg products shipped from one official plant to another official plant for pasteurization

, repasteurization,

or

heat treatment shall be in sealed

treatment. Shipping plants must seal such shipments in cars or trucks

with an accompanying certificate stating that the product is not pasteurized or is salmonella positive. If nonpasteurized or salmonella positive products are to be stored in other than the official plant facilities, the inspector at the consignee's and consignor's plants shall be given full knowledge of the disposition of the product, including warehouse inventory receipts, until such time as product is pasteurized, repasteurized, or heat treated. The containers of such nonpasteurized or salmonella positive product shall

and label them in accordance with § 590.410(c). Containers of unpasteurized or microbial pathogen-positive egg product must be marked with the identification mark shown in Figure

3

2 of § 590.415.

(

3) Notwithstanding the provision of paragraph (o)(2) of this section, nonpasteurized salted egg products containing 10 percent or more salt added may be shipped from

e) Inspection program personnel may allow an official plant

directly to a manufacturer of acidic dressings only under the following provisions:

(i) Before such shipment is made, the manufacturer of the acidic dressing shall apply in writing and receive permission from the Administrator to receive and use unpasteurized egg products. The applicant shall sign a written statement containing the specification for the treatment of the nonpasteurized egg product in a manner that will insure that viable salmonella microorganisms are destroyed, and such processing treatment shall be approved by the Administrator prior to use.

(ii) Product shall be shipped under seal from the official plant, accompanied by an official USDA certificate stating that the product is nonpasteurized and for use in acidic dressings only.

(iii) The applicant shall acknowledge receipt of each shipment by indicating on the reverse side of the USDA certificate. “The quantity of nonpasteurized egg product stated on this certificate was received at __________,” the blank being filled in with the name and address of the receiving company and the date and signature of the person completing the form. The certificate shall be returned to the USDA inspector at the origin plant.

(iv) The acidic dressing manufacturer shall maintain processing records indicating the use of each shipment of unpasteurized salted product and the code lots of acidic dressing into which it was processed. Records of the pH and the acidity expressed as percent acetic acid of each code lot shall be maintained. The records shall also demonstrate that the acidic dressing was held 72 hours prior to shipment. These records shall be maintained for 2 years and shall be available for inspection by a representative of the Department.

(v) Each container of salted egg product shipped from the official plant shall be labeled as required in § 590.411, and shall bear the words “Caution - this egg product has not been pasteurized or otherwise treated to destroy viable salmonella microorganisms,” and shall bear the official identification shown in figure 4 of § 590.415.

to move egg products that have been sampled and analyzed for Salmonella, or for any other reason, before receiving the test results, if they do not suspect noncompliance by the plant with any provisions of this part. The official plant must maintain control of the products represented by the sample pending the results.

[36 FR 9814, May 28, 1971, as amended at 37 FR 6658, Apr. 1, 1972; 40 FR 20059, May 8, 1975. Redesignated at 42 FR 32514, June 27, 1977, and further redesignated at 46 FR 63203, Dec. 31, 1981, as amended at 47 FR 745, Jan. 7, 1982; 60 FR 49170, Sept. 21, 1995; 85 FR 81341, Dec. 16, 2020]