Colorado Department of Agriculture
Animal Industry Division
Inedible Meat Rendering and Processing
8 CCR 1201-9
Part 1.	Introduction; Definitions.
1.01	Introduction. These regulations are adopted by the Commissioner of Agriculture pursuant to, and in aid of enforcement of, the Colorado Inedible Meat Rendering and Processing Act of 1967 (the “Act”), sections 35-59-101 to 113, C.R.S. These regulations apply to all disposal plants, vehicles, transportation services, and inedible meat, as defined in, and subject to, the Act.
1.02	Definitions. The terms used in these regulations shall have the meaning assigned to them in the Act. In addition to the terms defined in the Act, as used in these regulations:
(1)	“4-D” means meat and meat products derived from dead, dying, disabled, diseased or condemned animals.
(2)	“3-D” means meat and meat products derived from animals which were slaughtered.
Part 2.	Licensing.
2.01	Each applicant for a license shall submit an application on a form provided by the Department.
2.02	Each licensee shall report to the Department, within ten days, any deletions from, or additions to, the list of vehicles which are used in connection with the licensed business.
Part 3.	Building construction and environmental sanitation.
3.01	The following requirements shall apply to all disposal plants, as defined in the Act.
3.02	Disposal plants shall meet the following construction criteria:
(l)	Each building constituting part of a disposal plant shall be of sound construction. Each such building shall be in compliance with all applicable state and local building codes and regulations.
(2)	A disposal plant shall be in compliance, as to its location, with all applicable zoning codes, ordinances laws and regulations.
(3)	Each building constituting part of a disposal plant shall be kept in good repair, so as to prevent the entrance thereinto, or the harboring therein, of rodents, birds, insects, vermin, dogs, cats, or any other animal. Each service pipe opening through outside walls shall be provided with a tight metal collar or otherwise effectively sealed around the wall opening.
3.03	Disposal plants shall comply with the following environmental sanitation requirements:
(1)	The plant premises shall be kept in a clean and orderly condition, and shall be kept as free as reasonably possible of strong or foul odors, smoke and other pollutants. The outside areas adjacent to all buildings shall be kept free from refuse, rubbish and waste materials, so as to prevent harborage of rodents, insects, vermin or any other animals.
(2)	Plant premises shall be provided with a drainage system which allows rapid drainage of all water from plant buildings, driveways and all other outdoor areas, including surface water. All such water shall be disposed of in a manner which is reasonably calculated to prevent the creation of a nuisance or health hazard.
(3)	Plant sewage and waste disposal systems shall comply with all federal state and local health and environmental laws and regulations.
3.04	Each plant shall have a supply of running water available at all times which is adequate for clean and safe operations. Water heated to a temperature of not less than 180 degrees F., or a chemical sanitizing agent, shall be provided and used for washing the plant equipment and premises.
Part 4	Vehicles.
4.01	All vehicles used in the transportation of dead animal carcasses, diseased carcasses and parts, bone and raw tankage material, shall be inspected at least once annually by the Department. If a vehicle is found to be in compliance with the requirements of the Act and these regulations, said vehicle will be issued a decal indicating such satisfactory condition. No decal will be issued to a vehicle unless and until it is found to be in compliance with the Act and these regulations.
4.02	All vehicles used in the transportation of dead animal carcasses, diseased carcasses and parts, bone and raw tankage material, shall be constructed and maintained so as to prevent leakage of blood, tissue or the like. Each vehicle shall have a load compartment which is covered whenever a load is on board, and shall be washed and disinfected frequently so as to maintain a clean condition, whether the vehicle is on public roads or plant premises.
Part 5.	Licensed Plants - Sanitation and Inspections
5.01	Plants licensed under the Act shall be at all times operated and maintained in a reasonably clean condition, and in compliance with all provisions of the Act and of these regulations.
5.02	Each plant shall be inspected by the Department not less than once each month. Each sanitation violation which is found in such inspection shall be recorded on a form provided by the Department. A copy of such form shall be given to the person in charge of the plant. All such violations shall be corrected by the plant operators.
5.03	Floors, walls, ceiling, partitions, posts, doors, and other parts of each plant structure shall be of such material, construction, and finish as will make them susceptible of being readily and thoroughly cleaned. The floor shall be kept water tight.
5.04	Abundant light, both natural and artificial, shall be evenly distributed throughout the plant to provide an amount of illumination reasonably sufficient to allow safe and sanitary operations.
5.05	The plant shall have in good operating condition a system of exhaust and intake ventilation which affords a continuous exchange of fresh air.
5.06	The plant shall provide lavatory facilities for the use of its employees and visitors. Such facilities shall include hot and cold running water, soap, disposable towels, and functional commodes and urinals. These facilities shall be maintained in an orderly and clean condition at all times.
5.07	Plants shall comply with the following pest and animal control provisions:
(1)	Doors and windows shall be provided with tight fitting screens in good repair.
(2)	Domestic pets shall be excluded from the premises at all times.
(3)	There shall be a continuous program of insect and rodent control in effect to eliminate and protect against infestation by insects, rodents and other vermin.
(4)	Plant management shall keep all indoor and outdoor areas of the plant premises free of accumulated debris, in order to avoid providing harborage for insect or animal pests.
5.08	Each plant shall maintain proper refrigeration equipment, in accordance with the following:
(1)	Each plant shall maintain in a clean manner one or more temperature controlled refrigeration units (coolers), the interior temperature of which shall not exceed 40 degrees F. The total capacity of such units shall be sufficient to keep all contents below 40 degrees F.
(2)	Each plant shall provide, and maintain in a clean manner, temperature controlled freezers, the interior temperature of which shall not exceed 10 degrees F. The total capacity of such freezers shall be sufficient to allow proper air circulation and expedite the freezing of all contents and to keep all contents below 10 degrees F.
5.09	Each plant shall be operated and maintained in a clean condition at all times. Equipment shall be reasonably clean during operation. Evisceration floors shall be maintained reasonably free of serous fluids and diseased material. Carcass pick up practices, processing and tankage material disposal shall be handled with reasonable promptness.
Part 6.Handling of Products: Decharacterizing and Identification.
6.01	All inedible meats, as defined in the Act, shall be handled in accordance with the following requirements.
6.02	When inedible meat is decharacterized, the denaturing agent shall be applied in sufficient amount to give the product a distinctive color, odor or taste so that the agent cannot be easily or readily removed or the product confused with an article of human food. The denaturing agent shall be intimately mixed into the product.
6.03	All processed carcasses or portions thereof, prior to being placed in refrigerated storage or shipped intrastate, shall be clearly identified as inedible products. Such identification shall be by direct application (by spray or roll-on method) of a denaturant authorized by the Act, on the freely slashed flesh of processed meats, immediately following skinning and evisceration.
6.04	Boned meats shall be in snail pieces, no larger than four inches in diameter, or if larger, shall be freely slashed at intervals no more than two inches apart, by mechanical or manual means. Such pieces shall be decharacterized in accordance with these rules.
(1)	If immersion in denaturant is used, the short-time contact period of formulated denaturant slurry in immersion vessels shall result in a finished product meeting the requirements of section 6.02 of these rules.
(2)	If mechanical spray apparatus or manual sprinkling agents are used, the denaturant shall be uniformly distributed so that all meat surfaces comes into contact with the denaturant. The finished product shall meet the requirements of section 6.02 of these rules.
6.05	All ground meats shall contain granular charcoal, uniformly distributed throughout the product, and the product shall meet the requirements of section 6.02 of these rules.
Part 7.	Labeling, Packaging, and Shipping of 3-D and 4-D Meats.
7.01	Each person who intends to ship inedible meat from a disposal plant shall submit to the Department a sample, depiction, or description of each type of packaging proposed to be used by such plant for such inedible meat, including the proposed labeling. No person shall ship any inedible meat from a disposal plant unless the Department has approved its containers and labeling.
7.02	Each container which is used to package inedible meat to be shipped from a disposal plant shall be of sufficient size and strength to safely hold its contents without spillage or leakage, throughout the shipment process.
7.03	Packages of inedible meat products which weigh more than 51 pounds shall meet the following requirements:
(1)	The package shall be labeled with the following information:
(a)	Name, city and state, and zip code of processor; or if the processor is not the seller, the legend “Processed by”, followed by the processor's Colorado establishment license number.
(b)	The processor's Colorado establishment license number.
(c)	Name of product.
(d)	Net quantity statement.
(e)	The legend “Inedible. Not Intended for Human Food.”, in letters not less than two inches in height, or as large as other printing on the container if the other printing is larger than two inches.
(2)	Product labels must conform to the requirements of the Colorado Commercial Feed Law of 1979, sections 35-60-101 to 35-60-114, C.R.S. and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner thereunder.
7.04	Inedible meat products shipped from disposal plants shall be packaged in containers which are labeled with the following information.:
(1)	Name, city and state, and zip code of processor; or if the processor is not the seller, the legend “Processed by”, followed by the processor’s Colorado establishment license number.
(2)	The processor’s Colorado establishment license number.
(3)	Name of product.
(4)	Net quantity statement.
(6)	Product labels must conform to the requirements of the Colorado Commercial Feed Law of 1979, sections 35-60-101 to 35-60-114, C.R.S. and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner thereunder.
7.05	Any inedible meat products transported on the public highways of Colorado shall be packaged, labeled and handled in compliance with these regulations.
7.06	Each disposal plant shall keep the records required by the Act. Each item shipped from the plant shall be identified as “inedible (name of product)” on the invoice and bill of lading.
7.07	If inedible meat products are packaged for shipment to another state, the product package and label shall comply with all requirements of the destination state, as well as those of the Act and these regulations.
7.08	As used herein, “prepared and packaged products” means inedible meat products which have been prepared by drying, heat processing, smoking, jerking, pressing, forming, stuffing in casing or similar end-processing and packaged. (The requirements for labels on packages and containers of non-prepared products, including, but not limited to, raw, inedible, meat and meat by-products are found in Parts 7.03 and 7.04 above.) Prepared and packaged products, including, but not limited to, retail packages and containers intended for consumer purchase, shall be labeled as follows:
(1)	The packages and containers shall display a statement in capital letters, “FOR DOGS,” “FOR CATS,” “FOR PETS,” “DOG TREATS,” “CAT TREATS,” “PET TREATS,” or similar statement denoting that the product is for other than human food, in lettering the size of which shall not be less than the size of any other print on the label.
(2)	The statement required in subpart 7.08(1) immediately above shall be conspicuous and shall appear on the face of the package or container.
(3)	The labels shall conform with the requirements of the Colorado Commercial Feed Law of 1979, §§ 35-60-101 through 114, C.R.S. (1995).
(4)	Any repackaging of prepared and packaged products shall comply with the requirements of this subpart 7.08.