Is 180 F water required for sanitizing equipment used during livestock carcass dressing procedures?
A1: Establishments are required to maintain equipment and utensils in a sanitary condition so as not to adulterate product, 9 CFR 416.3, and to clean and sanitize that equipment and utensils as frequently as necessary to prevent adulteration, 9 CFR 416.4(a). When dressing livestock carcasses that are affected by any disease condition mentioned in 9 CFR 311.16, 9 CFR 311.16(b) requires sanitization of equipment using hot water at a minimum of 180 F. Chemical sanitizers may be used in lieu of 180 F water if the requirements of 9 CFR 416.4(c) are met, and the chemical sanitizer used provides an equivalent sanitizing effect.
