Oyster Rule and Reg Brochure_letter_CS5 - 7-3-13.indd - Louisiana ...

LabelingThe quantity of oysters for sale must beaccurately labeled by volume, weight, orcount in the ‘Quantity’ field on the harvesttag. If labeled as a ‘sack’ they must meet thevolumetric requirement of 3,225.63 cubicinches.If oysters are removed from the shell, theymust be clearly labeled by volume or weight.If oysters are sold by volume or weight, nomore than fifteen percent of the total weightcan be free liquid.If you are packaging, labeling, or distributingshucked oysters, you must follow theguidelines set forth in the NIST Handbook130 as adopted by the National Conferenceon Weights and Measures.Half shell oysters may only be sold by weight(excluding weight of shell) or by count.The state health officer must approveshucked oyster containers. When packingshucked oysters in Louisiana, you must markthe containers with your certified numberpreceded by the letters ‘LA’ and also indicatethe packing date with a code or the actualdate.Tags / ReportingIf you are a dealer, you must keep theharvester’s tag affixed to each container ofshellstock until the container is shipped oremptied for washing, grading, or packing.Retain all tags for at least 90 days.There is a zero tolerance policy for untaggedoyster containers or sacks—any untagged orimproperly tagged container or sack will beconsidered to have been taken from pollutedwaters and deemed a health hazard.Containers of shucked oysters must bedated and have the name and address ofthe original processor, shucker-packer orrepacker, and the Louisiana certificationnumber.You must keep oysters in the container inwhich they were received until they are used,unless displaying them for retail sale. Youmay not mix oysters from different lots.Both the harvester and the first certifieddealer must complete the Harvester-DealerTime / Temperature Log Sheet to documentcompliance with time to refrigerationrequirements. The log sheet must bemaintained for one year. Log sheets forthe previous 15 days must be kept aboardharvest vessel.ProcessingOysters must be shucked and prepackagedonly in LDHH-certified facilities. The LDHHpermit serial number must appear on everypackage, can, carton, or other container inwhich shellfish are packed for distributionand sale.Every dealer must have and implement awritten HACCP plan. Oysters must maintaina temperature of 45 o F or below throughouttransit.Did you know?During the 2013 regularlegislative session, legislatorspassed House Bill 236,increasing penalties forviolations of laws regulatingoyster harvest during healthclosures and health timerestrictions.10