Section 26-2-27.1. Testing of specimens from food processing centers; consistency in standards; cost; retention of records from testing; exemption

   (a) As used in this Code section, the term "food processing plant" means a commercial operation that manufactures food for human consumption and does not provide food directly to a consumer from that location. Such term shall not include a commercial operation that produces raw agricultural commodities and whose end product remains a raw agricultural product.

(b) (1) (A) In order to protect the public health, safety, and welfare and ensure compliance with this article, the Commissioner shall by rule or regulation establish requirements for regular testing of samples or specimens of foods and ingredients by food processing plants for the presence of poisonous or deleterious substances or other contaminants rendering such foods or ingredients injurious to health. Such rules or regulations shall identify the specific classes or types of food processing plants, foods, ingredients, and poisonous or deleterious substances or other contaminants that shall be subject to such testing requirements and the frequency with which such tests shall be performed by food processing plants.

      (B) The Commissioner shall also promulgate rules and regulations establishing minimum standards and requirements for a written food safety plan, such as a hazard analysis critical control point plan, that may be submitted by an operator of a food processing plant to document and describe the procedures used at such plant to prevent the presence of hazards such as poisonous or deleterious substances or other contaminants that would render finished foods or finished ingredients as manufactured at such plant injurious to health, including preventive controls, monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of such controls, and records of corrective actions, including actions taken in response to the presence of known hazards. If an operator of a food processing plant, in its discretion, submits to the department a written food safety plan for such plant and such plan conforms to rules and regulations promulgated for purposes of this subparagraph, then such food processing plant shall comply with the requirements of such written food safety plan, including, but not limited to, any test regimen provided by such plan, in lieu of complying with a test regimen established by rules or regulations promulgated by the Commissioner pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.

      (C) (i) The Commissioner shall impose a civil penalty for a violation of this subsection.

         (ii) The department shall adopt rules and regulations establishing a schedule of civil penalties that shall be imposed under this subsection. Civil penalties imposed pursuant to this subsection shall not exceed $5,000.00 for each violation; provided, however, that a food processing plant that knowingly fails to comply with the provisions of subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall be punished by the imposition of a $7,500.00 civil penalty. In addition to such civil penalty, within 30 days of the determination by the Commissioner that such violation has occurred, such food processing plant shall submit to the Commissioner a written plan pursuant to subparagraph (B) of this paragraph.

         (iii) For purposes of this subsection, each day a violation continues after the period established for compliance by the Commissioner shall be considered a separate violation.

         (iv) When a civil penalty is imposed under this subsection, such penalty shall be subject to review in the manner prescribed by Article 1 of Chapter 13 of Title 50, known as the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act."

   (2) In addition to any regular tests required pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Commissioner may order any food processing plant to have samples or specimens of its foods and ingredients tested for the presence of any poisonous or deleterious substances or other contaminants whenever in his or her determination there are reasonable grounds to suspect that such foods or ingredients may be injurious to health.

(c) Any food processing plant subject to any testing requirements pursuant to this Code section shall cause such required tests to be performed in accordance with testing standards and procedures established by rules and regulations of the Commissioner. Testing standards and procedures established by the Commissioner under this paragraph shall be consistent with standards presented in the federal Food and Drug Administration's Bacterial Analytical Manual and standards developed by the Association of Analytical Communities International, International Organization for Standardization, or another internationally recognized certification body.

(d) A food processing plant shall be responsible for the cost of any testing required pursuant to this Code section and may conduct such testing either internally or via a third party, provided that subsection (c) of this Code section applies in either case.

(e) (1) Whenever any person or firm that operates a food processing plant in this state obtains information from testing of samples or specimens of finished foods or finished food ingredients as manufactured at such food processing plant which, based on a confirmed positive test result, indicates the presence of a substance that would cause a manufactured food bearing or containing the same to be adulterated within the meaning of paragraph (1) of Code Section 26-2-26, such person or firm shall report such test result to the department within 24 hours after obtaining such information.

   (2) Any person who knowingly fails to make the report required by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. The punishment provided for in this subsection shall be supplemental to any other applicable provisions of law.

(f) Records of the results of any tests required pursuant to this Code section shall be kept by a food processing plant and made available to the department for inspection for a period of not less than two years from the date the results were reported by the laboratory. Any person who knowingly violates this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. The punishment provided for in this subsection shall be supplemental to any other applicable provisions of law.

(g) This Code section shall not apply to any food processing plant operating under a federal grant of inspection from the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service.

(h) Any person who knowingly introduces into commerce finished foods or finished food ingredients as manufactured at a food processing plant knowing that it contains a substance that would cause a manufactured food bearing or containing the same to be adulterated within the meaning of paragraph (1) of Code Section 26-2-26 shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than 20 years, a fine not to exceed $20,000.00, or both. The punishment provided for in this subsection shall be supplemental to any other applicable provisions of law.

Code 1981, § 26-2-27.1, enacted by Ga. L. 2009, p. 441, § 2/SB 80; Ga. L. 2010, p. 465, §§ 2, 3, 4/HB 883.