Maine § 1852. - Plant requirements

§ 1852.. Plant requirements

Every beverage plant used for the preparation, manufacture and bottling of any beverage must be adequately lighted and ventilated and all floors must be constructed of cement, concrete or tile laid in cement or other material impervious to water, and must have sufficient pitch to ensure drainage; walls and ceilings must be varnished or painted in light color and kept clean; doors, windows and other openings of any room in which beverages or the ingredients of such beverages are prepared must be screened. Wash basins, sinks and toilets must be provided for employees. A toilet may not open directly into any room used for the preparation or bottling of any beverage. The syrup room must be separately enclosed, well ventilated and lighted, provided with sinks and taps for hot and cold water, thoroughly protected against vermin, flies, dirt and dust and so constructed as to be easily cleaned.   [PL 2017, c. 113, §2 (AMD).]

Except for a small beverage producer, every beverage plant must be equipped with mechanical container-washing apparatus and machinery, and with mechanical and sanitary machines for bottling and for carbonating, if carbonated beverages are manufactured. A small beverage producer may wash and fill glass beverage containers by hand and carbonate beverages by hand if all other requirements of this section are met.   [PL 2017, c. 113, §2 (AMD).]

All machines, apparatus, vessels, fountains, tanks or other equipment, caps and ingredients used in the manufacture of beverages must be kept in a sanitary condition. No vessels or tanks may be used for syrup mixing or for storing such mixed syrup unless they are of glass or stainless steel, porcelain lined, block tin lined or made of some other suitable impervious material.   [RR 2017, c. 1, §29 (COR).]

Beverage plants must be located in buildings so constructed that the bottling operation is performed in separate rooms, but such construction must allow for modern practices in the loading or unloading of trucks in the same rooms, and for modern practices in the use of conveyor systems or other means of mechanical handling.   [PL 2017, c. 113, §2 (AMD).]