Non-Tariff Barriers

Non-Tariff Measure

NTM classification

A49: Hygienic requirements n.e.s. 

Date when the measure came into force

09 September 2004 

Publication where the measure is specified

Government Notice R. 790 (Government Gazette 26530) Of 9 July 2004 

Regulation where the measure is specified

Compulsory Specification For The Manufacture, Production, Processing And Treatment Of Canned Fish, Canned Marine Molluscs And Canned Crustaceans 

Country/Region applying the measure

South Africa 

The rationale of the measure

This specification covers the manufacture, production, processing, and treatment of canned fish, canned fish products, canned marine molluscs, canned marine mollusc products, canned crustaceans and canned crustacean products. 

Coded list of objectives

X: For purposes n.e.s. 

Description of the measure

3.2.30.3.1 Water and ice used to chill the product shall comply with the requirements of SANS 241 (SABS 241), Drinking water. Seawater shall be clean and no seawater may be taken in near the shoreline unless it is cleaned beforehand. Establishments providing ice shall be inspected for conformance with the same requirements for fish processing areas in clause 3.
3.2.30.3.2 Sea water shall be taken in at the deepest possible point on the vessel. The water may not be used for engine cooling and the sea water supply lines may not have any cross-connections with engine cooling lines or waste water lines.
3.2.30.3.8 Deck surfaces that come into contact with the fish shall be clean and shall not be liable to be contaminated by fuel or other petrochemical substances.
3.2.30.4.2 Crews quarters, cloakrooms, dining rooms and galley shall be suitably isolated from the processing/fish handling area where applicable. Facilities shall be kept clean and tidy and the floors and other surfaces are to be cleaned regularly.
3.2.30.4.3 Bathing or showering facilities are to be provided if vessels stay out for more than 3 days (especially where any fish is to be hand handled).
3.2.30.4.4 Protective clothing shall be stored as follows:
a) clean overalls and coats shall be stored in clean cupboards or wardrobes; and
b) a suitable ventilated facility shall be provided for cleaned plastic protective clothing (oilskins).
3.2.30.4.5 The requirements for staff handling or processing fish on board are the same as those described for freezer vessels, as detailed in the said compulsory specification for frozen fish and frozen fish products (as amended from time to time). For other types of operations, the following is required:
a) clean protective clothing or oilskins are to be worn;
b) smoking, spitting, eating or drinking shall be prohibited on deck or in storage areas of the vessel;
c) staff shall wash their hands after visits to the toilet; and
d) staff shall maintain a high standard of cleanliness for themselves and their clothes.
3.5 Hygienic operating requirements
3.5.1 General
The factory shall implement procedures that will ensure good operation and sanitation practices as described in SANS 10049 (SABS 049), Food hygiene management.
3.5.2 Cleaning and disinfecting
3.5.2.1 Cleaning and disinfecting system
A permanent cleaning and disinfection system shall be established to ensure that the processing areas, equipment and material, including vessels used for transportation, are cleaned and disinfected appropriately and regularly.
3.5.2.2 Cleaning and disinfecting materials
Only cleaning agents, sanitizers and disinfectants that have been officially approved for use in food establishments shall be used.
An adequate supply of cleaning materials, steam, hot and cold water, complying with 3.4, hosepiping, brushes and other requisites for proper cleaning shall be available. Brooms and brushes shall be made of impermeable material and shall have nylon bristles and shall be maintained in a clean and good condition. Bristles shall be conspicuously coloured to enable easy detection in case of detached bristles. Brooms and brushes used on floors shall not be used on product contact surfaces. Wire wool or metal scouring wool shall not be used for cleaning surfaces that come in contact with the product. Cleaning equipment and utensils shall be identified to the areas of use and equipment used to clean toilets, ablution facilities or other uncleaned areas shall not be used in
processing areas.
3.5.2.3 Cleaning of facilities
3.5.2.3.1 Buildings, premises, plant, equipment, utensils and all other physical facilities of the factory shall be kept clean and in good repair and shall be maintained in an orderly, clean and hygienic condition. The plant shall be cleaned and/or disinfected and rinsed during production stoppages and as frequently as necessary whenever circumstances demand. Where necessary, provision shall be made for cleaning-in-place (CIP) of pipes and tanks used for the product, sauces or other packaging medium. Couplings and other fittings of pipelines used for transporting packing medium shall be cleaned and kept in a disinfectant solution or stored dry under hygienic conditions when they are dismantled.
3.5.2.3.2 The entire plant, equipment and utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned with a detergent or other cleaning agent and disinfected at each change of operations and at least once during a twenty four hour cycle or at the end of operations. Where equipment and utensils are used in a continuous production iine basis, the product-contact surfaces of such equipment or utensils shall be cleaned and disinfected at a predetermined schedule. Immediately before the commencement of operations, equipment shall be thoroughly rinsed with potable water to remove any residues from the sanitation process and dust. Cleaning of the facility shall commence immediately after processes have stopped and machinery and products have been protected and safe guarded against contamination.
Dirt, waste and organic materials such as blood and scales shall not be allowed to react in such a manner that cleaning is impeded.
3.5.2.3.3 Ceilings shall be regularly cleaned. Accumulation of dust above the ceiling shall be not allowed. During periods of operation, the floors and the drainage channels in the preparation, processing and packaging areas shall be kept clean and if necessary by regular sweeping and flushing with water. The product shall be protected from being splashed with water. Refuse shall not be permitted to accumulate in drainage channels. Thorough cleaning of floors and drainage channels shall take place as often as is necessary and at the end of each day's operations in order to maintain hygienic conditions.
3.5.2.3.4 Foot-baths shall be drained and cleaned regularly and the disinfectant kept in active condition.
3.5.2.3.5 The inside surfaces of walls of preparation, processing and packaging areas shall be thoroughly washed immediately after each day's operations and as often as necessary during the production periods. The rooms shall be kept as free from dust as possible. 

Reference of the measure

Regulations 3.2.30.3.1, 3.2.30.3.2 and 3.2.30.3.8
Regulations 3.2.30.4.3 to 3.2.30.4.5
Regulations 3.5.1 and 3.5.2 

Measure also domestic

Yes 

Products affected by the measure.

Description

Fish, marine molluscs or crustaceans or products of these or any combination of these, canned or in the course of transporting, handling, preparation, packing, processing for canning. 

Countries/Regions affected by the measure.

Description

All countries