Checklist for Acidified Foods Produced for Commercial Sale

FNH-00602 View this publication in PDF form to print or download.

Acidified foods are low-acid foods to which acid(s) or acidic food(s) are added; they have a water activity greater than 0.85 and have a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below. Some examples of acidified foods include pickled cucumbers (pickles), pickled beets and salsa. Acidified foods do not include fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchee, water kefir, etc.

Commercial production of these foods must comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Chapter 21, Part 114 (21 CFR 114) unless operating under the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Home-Based Food Business Exemptions, also referred to as the Alaska Cottage Foods Exemptions. Go to www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=114.

Create Scheduled Process

A scheduled process is developed through a discussion between you and an expert, or “process authority.” He or she will work with you to ensure that the process used to produce your product will create a food that is safe for human consumption. Contact your local process authority to develop and sign off on your process. Contact: Process authorities in Alaska are Chris Sannito, csannito@alaska.edu, and Brian Himelbloom, mhhimelbloom@alaska.edu.

Cost: Varies

Better Process Control School

The Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations (21 CFR 113 and 114) prescribe that all operators of retorts, processing systems, aseptic processing and packaging systems and container closure inspectors of thermally processed, low-acid and acidified low-acid foods in hermetically sealed containers be under the operating supervision of a person who has satisfactorily completed a Better Process Control School.

This course is only offered once a year in Alaska. It is held in Anchorage around the last week of January or first week of February.

Contact: For more information, visit alaskaseagrant.org/events.

Cost: $480

DEC Plan Review

Producers must meet with a DEC contact and discuss their entire operation before production begins.

Contact: Find your local office at dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/staff/

Cost: $400 one-time fee

DEC Annual Permit

Contact: Find your local office at dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/staff/

Cost: $400 annual fee

Alaska Business License

This license is necessary to be able to legally sell your products. Most of the form is self-explanatory except that you will be asked to input a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.

Contact: www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/BusinessLicensing/BusinessLicensingFormsFees.aspx

Cost: $50 annual fee

City or Local Business License and Sales Tax Registration

Check with your city to determine if there is a city business license or required sales tax registration. Fairbanks, Juneau and Palmer all have city business licenses or registrations.

Cost: Annual fee varies

Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance is highly recommended to protect against any potential liability associated with a food-borne illness that may occur in association with your food products. Contact your personal insurance provider to find out if this service is available; if not, there are a number of other options. To discuss which option is best for you, please contact the Alaska Small Business Development Center or the UAF Cooperative Extension Service.

Contact: Small Business Development Center State Office, 907-786-7201, info@aksbdc.org or aksbdc.org

FDA Food Facility Registration and Process Filing

The FDA requires all food facilities that are processing food products in the United States to register with the FDA. This is done with a simple form that asks for the physical location of the processing facility and the main contact for that facility. In addition, federal regulations require commercial processors of acidified foods and low-acid canned foods that are to be sold in the United States to register each establishment and file scheduled processes with the Food and Drug Administration for each product, product style, container size and type, and processing method.

Contact: For more information, visit www.fda.gov/food/establishment-registration-process-filing-acidified-and-low-acid-canned-foods-lacf/establishment-registration-process-filing-acidified-and-low-acid-canned-foods-lacf-paper-submissions

Cost: Free

Nutrition Labeling

Nutrition facts labels tell the consumer about the nutrition of a particular product. This information includes serving size, number of servings in the package, calories per serving and the amount of various nutrients contained in the product. There are many online businesses that generate nutrition labels. It is important to research any that you plan to work with to ensure they will deliver the label type and information you need. There are FDA labeling exemptions for low volume producers and small businesses. Information about this can be found at: www.fda.gov/food/labeling-nutrition-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/small-business-nutrition-labeling-exemption

Cost: Generally expect to pay $75 to $150 for the generation of your nutrition facts panels.

Contact: For more information, visit www.fda.gov/food/guidance-documents-regulatory-information-topic-food-and-dietary-supplements/labeling-nutrition-guidance-documents-regulatory-information

Cost: Free to file a nutrition labeling exemption with FDA.

Recall Plan

Basic record keeping is paramount to the success of your business. Create a record-keeping system to track information on each food product that comes into your facility and use it to keep track of where your finished products are distributed. Create lot numbers for every batch of product that you make in your facility. There are free templates available online, or the UAF Cooperative Extension Service can assist you in developing a recall plan for your process.

Contact: UAF Cooperative Extension Service, 877-520-5211

Cost: Free

Fire Zoning and Code Regulations

Talk to your local building permit office or the office of the Alaska State Fire Marshal to discuss land zoning and building code regulations before you begin any new construction or physical changes to an existing facility. Contact: The Alaska Fire Marshal, statewide, 907-269-2004, dps.alaska.gov/fire/home. In the following locations, inquiries should be made directly to the city offices:

 

Water and Wastewater Regulations

Check local city and borough regulations for information regarding water and wastewater.

Contact: Alaska DEC Division of Water, 907-465-5180, dec.alaska.gov/water/

Sarah R-P. Lewis, Extension faculty, Health, Home and Family Development. Originally written by Kate Idzorek, former Extension Food Research Technician.

Revised March 2022