Commercial Production of Unpasteurized and Fermented Ciders in Vermont Terence Bradshaw University of Vermont NFS 295 Fall 2010 (orig. published) Note: This guide was produced in Fall 2010 to fulfill requirements in an independent study course I was enrolled in as part of my M.S. program at the University of Vermont. While I stand by the information as it was relevant at the time of publication, this was not meant to be a regulatory guidance document. Since the time of this writing, several food safety laws, including and particularly the Food Safety Modernization Act, have been implemented in the U.S. which must be understood and considered when planning and operating a juice processing operation. -TB. Table of Contents Apple Cider Storing and Retailing ............ 11 Why Cidermakers Need to Focus on Safety ....... 4 Processing Facilities and Operations ........... 12 The FDA Juice Rule ............................................. 5 Premises................................................... 12 Retail Cider Operations .................................. 5 Equipment ............................................... 13 Vermont Regulation of Cider Mills..................... 6 Water Supply ........................................... 13 Other State Regulations ................................. 6 Personnel Hygiene ................................... 13 Juice Rule Requirements for Retail Cider Mills .. 6 Developing the Food Safety Plan for a Retail CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 .... 7 Cider Mill in Vermont ...................................... 14 Insurance Requirements ................................ 7 Appendix A. Fermented Cider Production in Vermont 15 Relevance to HACCP Plan and SSOPs ............. 7 Facility Design for the Cider Making ............ 15 Specific Requirements for Cider Operators in Vermont ............................................................. 8 Craft Ciders for the Small-Scale Producer ... 16 Orchard Management .................................... 8 Juice for Cider .......................................... 16 Good Agricultural Practices........................ 8 Apple Varieties for Hard Cider ................. 17 Harvesting Practices ................................... 8 Cider Styles .............................................. 17 Intermediate Operations ............................... 9 Fermentation Basics ................................ 19 Transportation Practices ............................ 9 Advanced Processes in Cidermaking ...... 20 Fruit Storage Practices ............................... 9 Sales and Distribution of Cider ................ 24 Fruit Sorting ............................................... 9 Appendix B. Potential Hazards in Fresh Cider 26 Fruit Cleaning ........................................... 10 Appendix C. Sample Standard Sanitary Fruit Inspection ........................................ 10 Operating Procedures ...................................... 29 Fruit Processing ........................................ 10 Appendix D. Sample SSOP Records .......... 31 Packaging ................................................. 11 Appendix E. Resources ............................. 32 Labeling .................................................... 11 Appendix F. Cited References .................. 34 Records..................................................... 11 Recalls ...................................................... 11 T. Bradshaw Commercial Production of Unpasteurized and Fermented Ciders in Vermont 3 For guidance only – not a regulatory document Apple cider is an iconic drink in New England, and Food-borne illness is a serious problem in the an important component to orchard businesses United States, responsible for 76 million cases, in Vermont. Many orchards either have cider 325,000 hospitalizations annually according to a operations included in their offerings, or did in 1999 study (Mead, Slutsker et al. 1999), with the past; some growers may be considering evidence of continued cases to the present day setting up new mills, and yet other (U.S. Centers for Disease Control 2010; U.S. entrepreneurs show interest in establishing Centers for Disease Control 2010). Fresh produce independent mills. Sweet and fermented (hard) has become increasingly of concern as a source ciders represent a growing market opportunity of infections, with fresh apple cider implicated in with diverse product choices and development multiple outbreaks of food-borne illness in the (Rowles 2000). With increased interest in cider United States. Contamination of juices with production in Vermont, mill operators require infectious organisms including Salmonella, guidance on setting up a safe mill that meets Cryptosporidium, and E. coli has led to recent state and federal requirements while meeting illness outbreaks, including an infamous case in basic safety standards to avoid public health 1996 where E. coli 0157:H7 contaminated juice implications. sickened scores of persons in the western U.S. and killed one child in Colorado (Vojdani, Note: for this guide the terms ‘cider’, ‘fresh Beuchat et al. 2008). For details on specific the cider’, and ‘sweet cider’ are used causal organisms implicated in cider food borne interchangeably to refer to non-fermented, illness outbreaks, see Appendix B. minimally processed juice from apples. ‘Hard cider’ or ‘fermented cider’ will designate apple In response to concern over food-borne illness juice that has undergone yeast fermentation and cases in fresh juices, the U.S. Food and Drug includes significant alcohol content. Administration in 2001 enacted their juice rule after an extensive comment period (U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2001). Known to many Why Cidermakers Need to Focus as the ‘pasteurization rule’, this new regulation on Safety affects production and sale of all fruit juices in Apple cider has had a long history, particularly in the United States, including both inter- and Northern Europe and New England, and is a intra-state sales. In response to both consumer common part of farming traditions in rural areas. and farmer commentary on the rule, there was Cider has been identified as a wholesome, family written an exemption from some portions for drink, served primarily to children (Demong small retail farms, however some parts of the 1998). While it is true that cider has been rule and other federal and state rules still apply consumed for decades without establishing a for such operations. This guide seeks to explain significant negative image from prevalent food what regulations a small cider processor must safety concerns, illness outbreaks have occurred comply with and offers advice on mill setup and recently and have driven industry and operation. government regulation of the production methods used by growers and processors. T. Bradshaw Commercial Production of Unpasteurized and Fermented Ciders in Vermont 4 For guidance only – not a regulatory document The FDA Juice Rule preserving the juice unless the recording and The 2001 FDA ‘Juice Rule’, Hazard Analysis and rejection requirements are met. Critical Control Point (HACCP); Procedures for the Wholesale marketing of cider includes any sales Safe and Sanitary Processing and Importing of of juice through a third-party other than the Juice, 66 FR 6137, applies to all processors of processor. This includes sales to other farm juices in the United States (U.S. Food and Drug stands other than those owned by the cider mill Administration 2001). The bulk of the rule owner, sales to grocery, convenience, or other addresses the HACCP procedure, which is a stores including restaurants, and sales by the systematic analysis of potential hazards and cider mill owner when they are operating as an associated correction processes for food agent for another business, i.e. if hired by processors. The hazard analysis is a process of another independent farmstand or other retailer collecting and evaluating information on hazards to staff sales. Mills that process fruit they do not associated with juice, to determine which own, such as custom pressing for separate hazards are reasonably likely to occur and, thus, orchard, are considered wholesalers and must should be addressed in a HACCP plan. comply with the HACCP and kill-step treatment A HACCP-directed juice processor is required to provisions of the rule. Information on produce, for each type of juice processed, a developing and implementing HACCP written hazard analysis to determine whether procedures for juice operations can be found at there are food hazards that are reasonably likely the U.S. FDA HACCP Page: to occur and to identify measures to apply to http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/HazardA control those hazards. Under US FDA HACCP nalysisCriticalControlPointsHACCP/default.htm regulations, the processor is required to perform as well as the Penn State University Juice HACCP a ‘kill step’ under critical control point for the page: http://extension.psu.edu/food- biological hazards. This includes, at the time of safety/courses/information/juice-haccp- this writing, one of two FDA-approved methods, resources . heat pasteurization or ultraviolet (UV) Retail Cider Operations treatment. In order to fulfill FDA requirements, Retail operations, such as orchards that sell cider the kill-step equipment must include the as a component to their on-farm business, that following features; 1) automatic real-time do not sell any juice through a third-party, are temperature or UV-dose recorders with data exempt from the HACCP provisions of the Juiced loggers