Section 1222.4 - Temperatures and Procedures for Cooling and Freezing Rabbits(a) Cooling. Immediately after evisceration and washing of rabbit carcasses, the carcasses shall be placed in a cooling tank containing running cold tap water to remove animal heat from the carcasses. Rabbit carcasses shall not be immersed in water longer than 2 " hours.(b) Air Chilling. Immediately after the initial water chilling, the carcasses shall be placed in cooling racks and thereupon placed in a refrigerated cooler with moderate air movements and a temperature which will reduce the internal temperature of the carcasses to 40 °F or less within 24 hours.(c) Freezing. (1) When ready-to-cook domestic rabbits are packaged in bulk or shipping containers, the carcasses shall be individually wrapped or packaged in water-vapor resistant cartons, or the containers shall be lined with heavy water-vapor resistant paper so as to assure adequate overlapping of the lining to completely surround the carcasses and to permit unsealed closure or sealing in such a manner that water-vapor loss from the product is considerably retarded or prevented. The rabbit carcasses shall receive an initial rapid freezing under such packaging, temperature, air circulation, and stacking conditions that will result in freezing the carcasses solid in 48 hours.(2) Frozen ready-to-cook rabbits shall be stored at 0 °F, or below, with temperatures maintained as constant as possible.(d) Immediately after packing, all ready-to-cook domestic rabbits, other than those that are shipped from the plant (the body temperature of which shall be below 36 °F.), shall be either moved into the freezer or held for a period not exceeding 72 hours in the cooler at a temperature of not above 36 °F.Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 3, § 1222.4
1. New section filed 3-19-2009; operative 4-18-2009 (Register 2009, No. 12). Note: Authority cited: Sections 407, 24561, 24562, 24681 and 24991, Food and Agricultural Code. Reference: Sections 24651, 24652, 24653, 24654, 24655, 24656, 24657, 24658, 24659, 24660 and 24661, Food and Agricultural Code.
1. New section filed 3-19-2009; operative 4-18-2009 (Register 2009, No. 12).