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Bahamas Statutory Instruments |
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MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES |
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AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT |
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S.I. No. 33 of 2004 |
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THE FOOD ACT |
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(Chapter 236) |
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THE FOOD (SEAFOOD PROCESSING AND |
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INSPECTION) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2004 |
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The Minister, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 11 of the Food Act, makes the following regulations - |
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1.
These Regulations which amend
the Food (Seafood Processing and Inspection) Regulations, may be
cited as the Food (Seafood Processing
and Inspection) (Amendment)
Regulations, 2004.
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Citation. S.I. 87 of 2002. |
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2.
Regulation 2 of the principal
Regulations is amended by the insertion in the appropriate
alphabetical order of the following definition
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Amends regulation 2 of the principal Regulations. |
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"commercial fishing vessel" means a vessel which has been granted a permit under section 11(1) of the Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act;". |
Ch. 244. |
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3.
Regulation 3 of the principal
Regulations is revoked and replaced as follows -
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Revokes and replaces regulation 3 of the principal Regulations. |
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"3(1) Subject to paragraph (2), these regulations apply to - |
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(a)
seafood intended for export and
domestic wholesale trade;
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(b)
seafood holding stations;
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(c)
seafood processing plants;
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(d)
seafood export plants;
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(e)
commercial fishing vessels;
and
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(f)
factory vessels.
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(2)These Regulations do not apply to quantities of one
hundred pounds (45.4 kilograms) or less of seafood that is imported
for personal
consumption or use.".
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4.
The principal Regulations are
amended by the insertion of the following as Regulation 17A -
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Amends the principal Regulations. |
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"Requirements for commercial fishing
vessels.
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17A. In the case of a commercial fishing vessel, the following conditions apply - |
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(a)
the commercial fishing vessels
must meet the requirements of Schedule 1A;
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(b)
the seafood handling
requirements of Schedule 2 and Schedule 5 must be met".
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5.
Paragraph (1) of regulation 22
of the principal Regulations is deleted and the following
substituted therefor -
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Amends regulation 22 of the principal Regulations. |
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"(1) No person shall harvest, unload, handle, hold or transport seafood intended for processing unless the harvesting, unloading, handling, holding or transporting meets the requirements of Schedule 1A, Schedule 2 and Schedule 5.". |
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6.
Section 1(12)(b) of Schedule 1
of the principal Regulations is deleted and the following
substituted therefor -
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Amends Schedule 1 of the principal Regulations. |
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"(b) are equipped with an accurate indicating thermometer or a temperature measuring device, and a temperature recording device so installed as to accurately show the temperature within the compartment and should be fitted with an automatic control to regulate temperature or with an automatic alarm system to indicate a significant temperature change in a manual operation. Charts must be available for inspection by an authorized officer at least during the period when the room is in use.". |
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7.
The principal Regulations are
amended by the insertion immediately following Schedule 1 of the
following as Schedule 1A -
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Insertion of new Schedule 1A into the principal Regulations. |
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"Schedule 1A |
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Commercial Fishing Vessel Requirements |
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1.
The general hygiene conditions
applicable to seafood products on board commercial fishing vessels
are as follows -
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(1)The sections of vessels or the containers reserved for the
storage of seafood products must not contain objects or products
liable
to transmit harmful properties or abnormal characteristics
to the foodstuffs. These sections or containers must be so designed
as
to allow them to be cleaned easily and to ensure that melted
water cannot remain in contact with the seafood
products.
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(2)When used, the sections of vessels or the containers
reserved for the storage of seafood products must be completely
clean and, in
particular must not be capable of being contaminated
by the fuel used for the propulsion of the vessel or by bilge
water.
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(3)As soon as the seafood is taken on board, the seafood must
be protected from contamination and from the effects of the sun or
any
other source of heat. When the seafood is washed the water used
must be either fresh potable water, or clean seawater, so as not
to
impair the quality of the seafood.
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(4)The seafood must be handled and stored in such a way as to
prevent bruising. The use of spiked instruments shall be tolerated
for
the moving of large fish or fish which might injure the
handler, provided the flesh of the fish is not
damaged.
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(5)Seafood other than those kept alive must undergo cold
treatment as soon as possible after loading. However, in the case
of fishing
vessels where cooling is not possible, the fish must not
be kept on board for more than eight hours.
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(6)Ice used for the chilling of the seafood product must be
made from potable water or clean seawater. Before use, it must be
stored
under conditions that prevent its
contamination.
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(7)After the seafood has been unloaded, the container,
equipment and sections of vessels which are directly in contact
with the seafood
products must be cleaned with potable water or
clean seawater.
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(8)Where fish is headed and/or gutted on board, such
operations must be carried out hygienically and the products must
be washed immediately
and thoroughly with fresh potable water or
clean seawater. The viscera and parts which may pose a threat to
public health must be
removed and set apart from products intended
for human consumption. Livers and roes intended for human
consumption must be refrigerated
or frozen.
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(9)Equipment used for gutting, heading and the removal of
fins, and containers and equipment in contact with the fishery
products, must
be made of or coated with a material which is
water-proof, resistant to decay, smooth and easy to clean and
disinfect. This equipment,
when used must be completely
clean.
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(10)Staff assigned to the handling of fishery products shall
be required to maintain a high standard of
cleanliness.
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2.
Additional hygiene conditions
applicable to commercial fishing vessels are -
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(1)Fishing vessels which refrigerate or freeze seafood
products must be quipped with holds, tanks or containers for the
storage of refrigerated
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or frozen seafood products at the appropriate temperature. These holds shall be separated from the machinery space and the quarters reserved for the crew by partitions that are sufficiently impervious to prevent any contamination of the stored seafood products. |
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(2)The inside surface of the holds, tanks or containers shall
be water-proof and easy to wash and disinfect. It shall consist of
a smooth
material or, failing that, smooth paint maintained in good
condition, not being capable of transmitting to the seafood
products,
substances harmful to human health.
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(3)The holds shall be designed to ensure that melted water
cannot remain in contact with the seafood products.
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(4)Containers used for storage of seafood products must
ensure their preservation under satisfactory conditions of hygiene
and, in particular,
allow drainage of melted water. These
containers, when used must be completely clean.
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(5)The working decks, the equipment and the holds, tanks and
containers shall be cleaned after each use. Potable water or clean
seawater
shall be used for this purpose. Disinfection, the removal
of insects or rat extermination shall be carried out whenever
necessary.
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(6)Cleaning products, disinfectants, insecticides and all
potentially toxic substances shall be stored in locked premises or
cupboards.
Their use must not present any risk of contamination of
the seafood product.
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(7)If seafood products are frozen on board, the vessel must
meet the requirements of section 2 of Schedule I. When freezing in
brine
is used. the brine shall not be a source of contamination for
the seafood product.
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(8)Vessels equipped for chilling of fishery products in
cooled seawater. either chilled by ice or refrigerated by
mechanical means, shall
comply with the following
requirements:
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(i)
tanks must be equipped with
adequate seawater filling and drainage installations and must
incorporate devices for achieving uniform
temperature throughout
the tanks;
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(ii)
tanks must have a means for
recording temperature connected to a temperature sensor positioned
in the section of the tank where temperatures
are highest;
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(iii)
the operation of the tank or
container system must secure a chilling rate which ensures the mix
of fish and seawater reaches 3 °C
in a maximum of six hours
after loading and 0 °C in a maximum of sixteen hours after
loading;
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(iv)
after each unloading, the tanks,
circulation systems and containers must be completely emptied and
thoroughly cleaned using potable
water or clean seawater. They
should only be filled with clean seawater;
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(v)
the date and the number of the
tank must be clearly indicated on the temperature recordings which
must be kept available for review
by authorized officers.
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(9)The Minister or an authorized officer shall keep up to
date for control purposes a list of the vessels equipped in
accordance with
points 7 or 8, with the exception however of
vessels equipped with removable containers and which are not
engaged regularly in preserving
fish in chilled
seawater.
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(10)Vessel owners or their representatives shall take all the
measures necessary to prevent persons liable to contaminate fishery
products
from handling them, until there is evidence that such
persons can do so without risk.".
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8.
Section 3(5) of Schedule 3 of
the principal Regulations is deleted and the following substituted
therefor -
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Amends Schedule 3 of the principal Regulations. |
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"(5) all refrigerated rooms must be equipped with an accurate indicating thermometer or a temperature measuring device, and a temperature recording device so installed as to accurately show the temperature within the compartment and should be fitted with an automatic control to regulate temperature or with an automatic alarm system to indicate a significant temperature change in a manual operation. Charts must be available for inspection by an authorized officer at least during the period when the room is in use.". |
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9.
Section 5(4) of Schedule 4 of
the principal Regulations is deleted and the following substituted
therefor -
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Amends Schedule 4 of the principal Regulations. |
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"(4) all refrigerated rooms must be equipped with an accurate indicating thermometer or a temperature measuring device, and a temperature recording device so installed as to accurately show the temperature within the compartment and should be fitted with an automatic control to regulate temperature or with an automatic alarm system to indicate a significant temperature change in a manual operation. Charts must be available for inspection by an authorized officer at least during the period when the room is in use.". |
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10.
Schedule 13 of the principal
Regulations is amended by the deletion of the items following the
heading "Maximum Tolerance Levels for
Toxic Elements in Seafood
Products" and the substitution therefor of the following -
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Amends Schedule 13 of the principal Regulation. |
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" |
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Made this 22nd day of May, 2004. |
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Signed |
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V. ALFRED GRAY |
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Minister Responsible for the Manufacture, Processing and |
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Preserving of Food |
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