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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>62167</law_id><section_number>3.2-5118</section_number><catch_line>Sterilization of bottles and containers</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="3.2">Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="IV">Food and Drink; Weights and Measures</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="51">Food and Drink</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="2">Sanitary Requirements</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> All bottles, jugs, cans, barrels, and containers used in the packing, bottling, storage, distribution, and sale of nonalcoholic beverage and drink products shall be sterilized by one of the following methods before using: <a id="paragraph-226779" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-5118/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> By sterilization with boiling water or live steam; or <a id="paragraph-226780" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-5118/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> By soaking in a hot caustic solution that shall contain not less than three percent alkali, of which not less than 60 percent is caustic, or its equivalent in cleansing or germicidal effectiveness as such solutions are commonly used in the soaker-type washing and sterilizing equipment.
				If other equally efficient methods of sterilization are developed, the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> may approve those methods of sterilization. <a id="paragraph-226781" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-5118/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Any violation of this section is a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>. <a id="paragraph-226782" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-5118/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 3-302; 1966, c. 702, &#xA7; 3.1-382; 2008, c. 860.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
