That only applies to whole muscle cuts or poultry carcasses with skin intact and you must meet the standard equipment and designated area to be able to do so, the term is reconditioned
Hi Scampi
It may depend on the specific source.
I did a small search through the Forum which generated the following (inc. chronologically) list of fascinating discussions on "related" topics. Perhaps predictably the majority thrust was regarding the justification of an opposite objective to that in the current OP.
- What to do with meat dropped on the floor
https://www.ifsqn.co...oor/#entry77232
2. Product Falling unto the Floor... Hot debate!
https://www.ifsqn.co...ate/#entry80108
3. Dropped Brisket on Cement..Still Safe to eat?
https://www.ifsqn.co...at/#entry107529
4. Contamination of Raw Fish from Floor
https://www.ifsqn.co...oor/#entry97505
5. Shrimp Salvage Procedure for Dropped Product on Line
https://www.ifsqn.co...ne/#entry112003
6. Suitable controls that would allow picking up finished products off the floor
https://www.ifsqn.co...or/#entry166107
The reference I previously (vaguely) recalled was probably (List 1 - Post 15) quoted below. This potentially supports the OP's objective in the absence of any Reconditioning Procedure but ...... --
The below instructions come straight from a USDA training document on Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures
Reconditioning Product
Although there is no regulatory requirement, establishments may have a procedure in its Sanitation SOPs for reconditioning product that incidentally comes in contact with a non-food contact surface (such as the floor). The procedure usually consists of the following steps; an establishment employee will remove product from the floor in a timely manner, trim contaminants from the surface area, wash the product at a product wash station, and inspect it before returning it to production. This procedure is used for occasional instances of product contamination. If the establishment is following its written procedures and monitoring these procedures, the establishment would not be required to take corrective action that meets the requirements of §416.15 [i.e. including rejection] every time product falls on the floor. If the establishment does not have a reconditioning procedure in its Sanitation SOP, it would be required to take and document corrective actions that meet the requirements of §416.15 each time product falls on the floor.
(also see 2nd attachment, 5-17)
Similarly a UK quote (1-10) had -
The Food Standards Agency - Meat Industry Guide- states:''Dropped meat policy - procedures depend on the size of the piece of meat and the extent and nature of any possible contamination. Large pieces of red meat or in-skin poultry carcasses should be trimmed immediately of visible contamination before processing is resumed. Pieces that are not suitable for trimming should be disposed of as unfit food''
The following is, I think, a detailed interpretation (2-13) of the 1st quote above in respect to raw materials and finished goods -
As with anything you do, you must consider your product, process and environment. Like CMHeywood said above, you have to justify what you do. - We are a fully cooked meat manufacturing facility that falls under USDA and we do allow for product that hits the floor to be addressed and reused (what we call reconditioning) in specific situations. Our specific procedures for reconditioning are addressed in our SSOP's as well as our GMP's.
- Sealed finished goods, seal not broken. Can this be cleaned off and used? In our process we do allow for this. Our finished product is packaged in waterproof plastic packaging and the packages are vacuum sealed. As long as the packaging is not compromised then we allow for the package to be rinsed off and sanitized. If the packaging is compromised then the product goes into inedible.
- Finished goods, not sealed (product did not touch the floor). Can the packaging be cleaned off and the sealing process continue? In our process the product would go into inedible and the packaging disposed of.
- Unused packaging. Can this be cleaned off and used? In our process it would depend. If the roll of film hit the floor on the solid side only then we would remove several of the outer layers and dispose of them. Please note that our packaging area is dry pick up so the floor would not be wet. If the roll of film hit the floor on the rolled side where all edges are exposed then we would dispose of the roll.
We also allow for raw intact pieces of meat that come in contact with the floor to be reconditioned as long as we see the product drop and immediately pick it up and take it to a designated sink for reconditioning, recondition the product and then immediately place it back into the process. Please note our process takes 2.5 to 3 hours from start to finish, about 1 hour start to cooking step at most, and our room temperatures are maintained at an average of 39oF.
Any exposed finished product (after cooking) that is exposed would go to inedible without question.
(But note one possible negative consequence of the above decisions as detailed in Post 6-4)
And this one (6.1) whose policy might support the OP's objective as was stated -
Hello awesome forum members.
I was challenged by our production supervisor and I would like your opinion on this.
Background:
We are packing a ready to eat product that is not supporting growth of any microorganisms( due to its high sugar content, low water activity and low pH) The policy in place is if a finished product container (that is already sealed and there is no risk of product contamination/) touches the floor it is automatically garbage. The rationale behind it is that the consumers may get sick if touching a dirty bottle ( people usually don't wash they hands after handling food container of ready to eat products). The floors are washed regularly with floor cleaner, there are foot baths with micro quat solution at every entrance to the packing room, there is an environmental program in place, no salmonella or listeria were found ( the program is in place just for a year)
Production Supervisor suggestion:
1. Wiping the bottles that were on the floor with disinfecting wipes and pack as usual
2. Placing a cardboard/plastic sheet under the line, were the product may fall and pack as usual.
I will appreciate if you could share your thought regarding both suggestions.
As usual, a lot of factors potentially involved.
It is also unclear as to the "status/condition" of the "raw materials" referred in OP and the subsequent Process, eg cooking ?.
Nonetheless, it appears that in certain situations, USDA does allow "product" to contact the floor and be further processed. If otherwise, possibly not. More OP details required to predict further IMO.