3717-1-04(G) Equipment, utensils, and linens: materials for construction and repair

Wood - use limitation.

(1)

Except as specified in paragraphs (G)(2) to (G)(4) of this rule, wood and wood wicker cannot be used as a food-contact surface.

(2)

Hard maple or an equivalently hard, close-grained wood may be used for:

(a)

Cutting boards; cutting blocks; bakers' tables; and utensils such as rolling pins, doughnut dowels, salad bowls, and chopsticks;

(b)

Wooden paddles used in confectionery operations for pressure scraping kettles when manually preparing confections at a temperature of two hundred thirty degrees Fahrenheit (one hundred ten degrees Celsius) or above; and

(c)

Wood fermentation tanks, wood maturation barrels, and other wood used in the alcoholic beverage making process.

(3)

Whole, uncut, raw fruits, and vegetables, and nuts in the shell may be kept in the wood shipping containers in which they were received, until the fruits, vegetables, or nuts are used.

(4)

If the nature of the food needs removal of rinds, peels, husks, or shells before consumption, the whole, uncut, raw food may be kept in:

(a)

Untreated wood containers; or

(b)

Treated wood containers if the containers are treated with a preservative that meets the requirements specified in 21 C.F. R. 178.3800.