Best Practices for the Production of Sweet Apple Cider Labelling and Storage

Proper storage ensures the safety and quality of your sweet apple cider is maximized. Proper labeling provides consumers with the information they need, and helps you manage any recall procedure if needed.

On-Farm Bottling

• Ensure new, unfilled containers are stored upside down to prevent contamination
• Use only new, non-porous, non-corrosive, food-grade retail containers
• Do not refill used bottles
• Clean, sanitize and rinse bulk containers prior to reusing
• Refrigerate all apple cider immediately after filling

Off-Farm Bottling

Off-farm bottling can impose additional food safety risks to your cider product. On the farm, you have much greater control over the cleanliness and sanitation of your bottling operation. At a farmers' market or flea market, whether inside or outside, you have less control over the cleanliness of your immediate environment.

• Do not refill used bottles at off-farm facilities
• Train retail staff to use proper hygiene
• Provide proper hand washing facilities for retail staff use
• Keep filling and vending area free of debris as well as damaged or decaying fruit in order to reduce pests, rodents, and other animal intrusion
• Protect fill area from exposure to dust or other contaminants

Storage

• Refrigerate cider immediately after pressing
• Store cider in refrigerated tanks before bottling or put it into containers directly after pressing. It is important that cider be cooled as quickly as possible to a temperature between 0 and 2ºC (32 to 36 F). Fresh apple cider will last about two weeks if stored at a temperature between 4 and 6ºC (40 to 42 F) or lower. Adding sodium benzoate or other preservatives will extend the shelf life about one to two weeks. Freezing the product will also increase the shelf life.

Cider Retail

• Keep your retail facility free of debris and damaged or decaying fruit
• Advise customers of "best before date" and to keep cider refrigerated
• Train your retail staff to use proper hygiene
• Provide proper hand-washing facilities for retail staff use

Transportation of Bulk Cider

• Clean and sanitize vehicles before transporting bulk cider
• Keep cider refrigerated

Record Keeping and Recalls

• Keep all records up-to-date and readily retrievable
• Establish a coding and trace-back system; this will enable you to prevent customers from consuming potentially contaminated product, and will minimize the volume of product that may need to be recalled.

Labelling

Labels must include:

• Common product name
• Net quantity
• Producer name, address and telephone number
• List of ingredients (i.e. preservative if added)
• Best before date

Labels should include:

• Storage requirements (e.g. "keep refrigerated")
• Lot code ID number
• The word "Unpasteurized" if the product is unpasteurized
  

For more information:

Cider Producer's Workbook,
available on the OMAFRA website at
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/inspection/juice/cider_workbook_text_only.htm

Code of Practice for the Production and Distribution of Unpasteurized Apple and Other Fruit Juice/Cider in Canada,
available on the CFIA web side at
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/protra/codee.shtml

CODEX/WHO
Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Patulin Contamination in Apple Juice and Apple Juice Ingredients in Other Beverages,
available on the CODEX web site at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/standards/405/CXC_050e.pdf

John Henderson,
Risk Management Specialist
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
95 Dundas Street, RR#3
Brighton, Ontario, K0K 1H0
john.henderson@ontario.ca; tel: (613) 475-5175; fax: (613) 475-3835

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