Article 10. Ice of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 104. >> Part 5. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 10.

This article applies only to ice that is intended for human consumption and is sold in packaged form. This article shall not apply to persons, hotels, restaurants, caterers, food service contractors, and theaters that manufacture, sell, or furnish ice solely to, or for, their customers in a manner that is incidental to the manufacturing, furnishing, or sale of other goods or services. This article shall not apply to ice dispensing or vending machines, except those that dispense or vend packaged ice, or to the icing of vehicles used to transport food.

The following definitions apply to this article:
  (a) "Ice" means the product obtained as the result of freezing water by natural, mechanical, or artificial means.
  (b) "Natural ice" means the product obtained as the result of freezing water by natural means.

In addition to the requirements of this article, unless ice is otherwise specifically excluded, regulations specifying good manufacturing practices applicable to food generally pursuant to Section 110105 shall be applicable to the manufacture of ice.

No person shall make ice from, or cut natural ice from, water that does not comply with primary drinking water standards adopted by the department pursuant to Section 116365. No person shall sell or offer for sale for human consumption or food preservation ice made or cut in violation of this article.

Unless water from a public water system, as defined in Section 116275, is used in the manufacture of ice, the manufacturer shall, on a quarterly basis, obtain from an approved laboratory, a bacterial analysis of the water used. The analysis shall be submitted to the department, indicating whether the water is pure and wholesome.

Any person or entity who manufactures, transports, stores, or sells ice shall comply with all of the following:
  (a) A room in which ice is manufactured shall be used for no other purpose than the manufacture of ice and the production of refrigeration, and may contain refrigeration equipment and machinery. This subdivision shall not apply to any food facility as defined in Section 113785.
  (b) Ice storage or processing areas shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition and no noxious or offensive odors, smoking, or other air pollution shall be permitted therein.
  (c) Cover tops for tank cans shall have a smooth, painted, or treated surface, and shall be cleaned daily. Water used for cleaning shall not be permitted to drip into freezing cans. Only potable water shall be used in sprays and in the thaw tanks for the removal of ice from cans. Water coverage tanks shall be covered and provided with filtered vents.
  (d) Crushed, cubed, or shaved ice, intended for human consumption, shall be stored in a manner that prevents its pollution or contamination.
  (e) Soil, waste, or drain pipes shall not be installed or maintained above any ice platform, loading space, ice container, ice storage room, dip tank or any place where leakage from the pipes may drop into, or upon any ice or upon any area or equipment used in the manufacture of ice, unless a safety device shall be installed under the pipes drained to an open receptacle or drain so as to prevent pollution of ice, water, or equipment used in the manufacture of the ice.
  (f) Block ice-loading platforms shall be washed with water as often as necessary to keep them in a clean and sanitary condition, but not less than once each day.
  (g) Block ice pullers and block ice storage-room employees shall wear rubber overshoes while on duty. The rubber overshoes shall be removed when the employee leaves the storage or tank room, except that if the rubber overshoes are not removed, they shall be cleaned and disinfected before reentering the storage or tank room. The use of street shoes without rubber overshoes in these areas is prohibited.
  (h) All frozen unpackaged ice blocks intended for sale for human consumption or for the refrigeration of food products shall be washed thoroughly with potable water. Ice manufactured for industrial purposes need not be washed prior to shipping but shall be handled and stored separately from ice intended for human consumption.
  (i) Ice shall be handled only with clean tongs, ice-carrying bags, scoops, or other sanitary containers, and shall not be directly handled with bare hands.
  (j) Single service supplies shall be stored, dispensed, and handled in a sanitary manner and shall be used only once.
  (k) Persons not directly involved in the manufacture, processing, packaging, or storing of ice, in the maintenance of facilities and equipment used therefore, or in the management, supervision, or inspection thereof, shall not be permitted in any area where ice is manufactured, processed, packaged, or stored, unless personal cleanliness and hygienic practices are taken to prevent contamination of the product. These areas shall have signs posted to this effect.
  ( l) Bacteriological tests of the finished ice shall be conducted not less than biannually, chemical and physical tests annually, and radiological tests every four years, to insure that ice manufactured for human consumption or for the refrigeration of food products complies with the primary drinking water standards adopted by the department pursuant to Section 116365.
  (m) No ice produced out of state shall be sold or distributed within this state unless it complies with this article.

(a) Filter beds and any filtering equipment shall be designed to protect ice from contamination and shall be subject to periodic treatment and cleaning.
  (b) All equipment and utensils used in ice production areas shall be of easily cleanable construction, shall be kept clean and in good repair, and shall be handled and stored in a sanitary manner. Materials used as ice contact surfaces shall be smooth, nontoxic, and nonabsorbent. Ice cans shall be leakproof and the inner surfaces of the containers shall be free of corrosion.
  (c) Freezing tank covers shall be designed and constructed to protect ice containers from splash, drip, and other contamination, shall be easily cleanable, and shall be kept clean and in good repair. The covers shall be equipped with rings or similar devices when hooks are used for pulling. Can or tank covers, and the ledges or sides of the tank upon which the cover rests, shall be cleaned as often as necessary to keep them in a sanitary condition.
  (d) Conveyor surfaces shall be of impervious material and shall protect ice from contaminants that may result from shredding, flaking, peeling, or fragmentation of the conveyor surface.
  (e) Equipment lubrication shall not contaminate the ice and only food grade lubricants shall be used.
  (f) All product storage and holding areas to be refrigerated shall be cleaned as often as necessary to keep them free of contamination.
  (g) Air used for water agitation shall be filtered or otherwise treated to remove dust, dirt, insects, and extraneous material. Filters shall be placed upstream from the compressor and shall be easily removable for cleaning or replacement.
  (h) The compressor or blower used to supply air or water agitation shall be designed to deliver oil-free air.
  (i) Air lines and core or vacuum devices shall be used as needed to produce ice free of rust or other foreign materials.

In addition to the requirements of this article, ice shall be considered a food subject to all the sanitation requirements applicable to food generally pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 110425), except those provisions that specifically exclude ice.

Any truck, vehicle, or other equipment used for delivery, distribution, or selling ice, shall comply with all of the following:
  (a) It shall be constructed and maintained to provide adequate and reasonable protection to the ice transported therein. Care shall be taken to prevent its contact with any contaminants, or other substances that would take the ice out of compliance with the drinking water standards prescribed by this article.
  (b) All cubed, crushed, or shaved ice shall be kept in clean receptacles or containers that shall be kept covered while the vehicle is in motion.