Acidified foods and low-acid foods

Commercial producers of shelf-stable canned or sealed foods covered by the law must register, use a safety process set by a qualified expert, and pay an additional annual fee. Products made without that process are treated as misbranded.

What the law does ​

• Repeals the former cannery licensing, inspection-board, and Cannery Inspection Fund provisions.
• Requires commercial manufacturers, processors, and packers of covered acidified or low-acid foods to register with the State Department of Public Health.
• Requires a scheduled safety process from a qualified processing authority before covered foods may be commercially made, processed, or packed.
• Treats covered foods made without a scheduled process as misbranded.
• Imposes an additional $350 annual fee on facilities that manufacture, pack, or hold covered foods requiring a scheduled process.
• Deposits the new fee and certain inspection-cost payments into the Food Safety Fund for department inspections and facility reviews.
• Prohibits unapproved claims on containers that a product was inspected by the department.
• Directs the department to administer the rules consistently with applicable federal requirements.

Who it affects ​

• Commercial manufacturers, processors, packers, and holders of covered acidified and low-acid foods for people or animals.
• Producers of covered fish, meat, and related food products.
• Processing authorities who establish scheduled safety processes.

Context ​

Acidified foods are sealed low-acid foods with added acid and a finished pH of 4.6 or below; low-acid foods are certain shelf-stable sealed foods with a pH above 4.6.