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CAC/RCP40Page1of34CODEOFHYGIENICPRACTICEFORASEPTICALLYPROCESSEDANDPACKAGEDLOW-ACIDFOODSCAC/RCP40-19931CONTENTSPAGEINTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................21.0SectionI-SCOPE...................................................................................................................22.0SectionII-DEFINITIONS...........................................................................................................23.0SectionIII-HYGIENEREQUIREMENTSINTHEPRODUCTION/HARVESTINGAREAS......................44.0SectionIV-ESTABLISHMENT:DESIGNANDFACILITIES..............................................................65.0SectionV-ESTABLISHMENT:HYGIENEREQUIREMENTS...........................................................116.0SectionVI-PERSONNELHYGIENEANDHEALTHREQUIREMENTS..............................................137.0SectionVII-ESTABLISHMENT:HYGIENICPROCESSINGREQUIREMENTS.....................................148.0SectionVIII-QUALITYASSURANCE............................................................................................289.0SectionIX-STORAGEANDTRANSPORTATIONOFFINISHEDPRODUCT......................................3110.0SectionX-LABORATORYCONTROLPROCEDURES..................................................................3211.0SectionXI-END-PRODUCTSPECIFICATIONS..............................................................................3212.0SectionXII-REFERENCES.........................................................................................................331TheCodeofHygienicPracticeforAsepticallyProcessedandPackagedLow-AcidFoodswasadoptedbythe20thSessionoftheCodexAlimentariusCommissionin1993.TheCodehasbeensenttoallMemberNationsandAssociateMembersoftheCommissionasanadvisorytext,anditisforindividualgovernmentstodecidewhatusetheywishtomakeofit.TheCommissionhasexpressedtheviewthatcodesofpracticemightprovideusefulchecklistsofrequirementsfornationalfoodcontrolorenforcementauthorities.Itsapplicationrequiresknowledgeandexperienceofpackagingtechnology.Itisnotintendedtobeusedasacompleteoperatingmanual.Itprimarilyaddresseshygieniccriticalcontrolpoints.Itshouldbeusedinconjunctionwithappropriatetextsandmanualsonthesubject.CAC/RCP40Page2of34CODEOFHYGIENICPRACTICEFORASEPTICALLYPROCESSEDANDPACKAGEDLOW-ACIDFOODSCAC/RCP40-1993INTRODUCTIONAsepticprocessingandpackagingmeanstheprocessingandpackagingofacommerciallysterileproductintosterilizedcontainersfollowedbyhermeticallysealingwithasterilizedclosureinamannerwhichpreventsviablemicrobiologicalrecontaminationofthesterileproduct.Asepticprocessingandpackagingdiffersfromcanninginthatincanningthefoodisplacedinthecan,sealedandheatprocessedinthatorder.TheprovisionsofthiscodewillprovideguidanceforidentificationofCriticalControlPointsforestablishmentdevelopedHACCPplansasrecommendedintheGuidelinesfortheApplicationoftheHazardAnalysisCriticalControlPoint(HACCP)System(CAC/GL18-1993).EstablishmentsengagedinasepticprocessingandpackagingareencouragedtodevelopandoperateunderaHACCPplan.1.0SECTIONI-SCOPEThiscodeofpracticeisconcernedwiththeasepticprocessingandpackagingoflow-acidfoodsasdefinedinthiscode.Itdoesnotapplytothoselow-acidfoodsinhermeticallysealedcontainersprocessedbyconventionalcanningproceduresnortothosethatrequirerefrigerationfortheirpreservation,nortoacidandacidifiedlow-acidproducts.Acidifiedlow-acidandconventionallycannedlow-acidfoodsaredealtwithintheRecommendedInternationalCodeofHygienicPracticeforLow-AcidandAcidifiedLow-AcidCannedFoods.2.0SECTIONII-DEFINITIONSForthepurposeofthisCode:2.1Asepticmeanscommerciallysterile.2.2Asepticprocessingandpackagingmeanstheprocessingandpackagingofacommerciallysterileproductintosterilizedcontainersfollowedbyhermeticsealingwithasterilizedclosureinamannerwhichpreventsviablemicrobiologicalrecontaminationofthesterileproduct.2.3Asepticzonemeansthearearequiredtobemadeandmaintainedsterilesuchthatsterileproductandcontainerswillnotberecontaminatedbymicroorganisms.Thiszoneisboundedbyphysicalbarrierssuchasstructuralfeaturesorsterileairflows.2.4Cannedfoodmeanscommerciallysterilefoodinhermeticallysealedcontainers.CAC/RCP40Page3of342.5Cleaningmeanstheremovaloffoodresidues,dirt,greaseorotherobjectionablematerial.2.6Codelotmeansallproductproducedduringaperiodoftimeidentifiedbyaspecificcontainercodemark.2.7Commercialsterilitymeanstheabsenceofmicroorganismscapableofgrowinginthefoodatnormalnonrefrigeratedconditionsatwhichthefoodislikelytobeheldduringmanufacture,distributionandstorage.2.8Disinfectionmeansthereduction,withoutadverselyaffectingthefood,bymeansofhygienicallysatisfactorychemicalagentsand/orphysicalmethods,ofthenumberofmicroorganismstoalevelthatwillnotleadtoharmfulcontaminationoffood.2.9EquilibriumpHmeansthepHofafinishedfoodonceallcomponentshaveattainedpHuniformity.2.10Flowdiversionsystemmeansproductpipingandvalvingdesignedtodivertpotentiallynon-sterileproductfromthefillerorasepticsurgetank.2.11Headspacemeansthevolumeinacontainernotoccu