Wisconsin’s Pickle Bill
2010
Selling Home-Canned Foods
• Wisconsin Act 101 allows a person to sell
some home-canned foods without a license
(under certain conditions)
• You can sell without a license fruits and
vegetables that are naturally acidic or have
been acidified by pickling or fermenting
– Pickled fruits and vegetables
– Salsas
– Sauerkraut
– Jams and jellies
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Products you Can’t Sell under the
Pickle Bill Exemption
• Low-acid canned foods: vegetables, fish, meat
• Sauces, dressings or condiments (these are not
considered fruits or vegetables)
• Canned foods that are not considered ‘fruits or
vegetables’: lemon curd, pesto, pickled eggs, etc.
• Baked goods
• Dried, processed or packaged foods
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Requirements
• Annual registration with the Food Safety
Division of the Dept of Ag Call 608-224-4682 to register.
• No more than $5,000 in sales per household
per year
• Retail sales only (direct from producer to
consumer) and only in Wisconsin
• Sales only at community or social events,
farmers’ markets, or farm roadside stands
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NO Sales
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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Out of your home
Wholesale (resale by someone else)
On consignment
Via the internet OR out of state
Of food produced outside of your kitchen
Of food produced by someone with a license
At craft shows, carnivals, school events, etc
Of exempt food (pickle bill products) along
with licensed foods
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Other Requirements
• Annual pH testing for the first batch of each
product (includes jams, jellies, pickles, salsa, fermented kraut, etc)
– Using a calibrated pH meter for pH greater than 4.0
– pH paper is OK for products with pH 4.0 or lower
(using a testing lab is recommended but not required)
• Training in home-canning safety or use of
an approved recipe
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Sources of Approved Recipes
• Ball Blue book (current edition)
• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The National Center for Home Food
Preservation www.uga.edu/nchfp
• University of Wisconsin Extension
www.foodsafety.wisc.edu
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Signs and Labels
• Sign at the point of sale:
These products are homemade in a kitchen that has not
been subject to state inspection
• On each jar: “This product was made in a home not
subject to state licensing or inspection.”
Also on each jar:
– Name and address of person who did the canning
– Date of canning
– Ingredients in decreasing order of predominance
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Keep Complete Records
Keep written records of each batch of product
for 2 years including:
– Name of product
– Recipe, including procedures and ingredients
– Amount canned and sold
– Canning dates
– Sales dates and locations
– Gross sales receipts
– Results of any pH tests
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Questions?
• Legal requirements: Wisconsin Dept of Ag
– 608-224-4682
– food@wi.gov
• Canning processes and recipes: UW-Extension
– Your county office
– UW-Extension specialist Dr. Barbara Ingham
• 608-263-7383
• bhingham@wisc.edu
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Home Canning: Do It Safely
Microorganisms
•Microorganisms which can grow and
cause spoilage or illness must be
destroyed in the canning process
Rod-shaped E. coli O157:H7
•Our worry in canned food:
• Clostridium botulinum
• C. botulinum is found naturally in soil
• Spores are VERY heat resistant
• Growing spores produce a toxin
when acid is low
Yeast cells
Cells and spores of C. botulinum
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Factors that Affect the Growth of
Microbes
• Food – be sure to clean & sanitize
• Acid – add enough acid, and the right kind, to
keep botulinum toxin from forming
• Temperature – a jar on a shelf may be the
perfect temperature for microbial growth
• Oxygen – some microbes need air to grow
– C. botulinum grows only in sealed packages where
oxygen isn’t present (a sealed canning jar can be ideal!)
For acid and acidified canned foods, ACID is KEY
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ACID
•pH is a measure of the amount of acid
•The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14
•A solution with pH between 1 and 7 is acid; a
solution with pH between 7 and 14 is alkaline,
or basic. A solution pH 7 is neutral.
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pH and Acid
pH
1
2
3
4
7
8
9
Acid [H+]
0.1
0.01
0.001
0.0001
0.0000001
0.00000001
0.000000001
Notation
1 x 10-1
1 x 10-2
1 x 10-3
1 x 10-4
1 x 10-7
1 x 10-8
1 x 10-9
Acid/Base
Acid
Acid
Acid
Acid
Neutral
Base
Base
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Relationship Between pH & Acid
•
•
•
•
The lower the pH, the higher the acid
The higher the pH, the lower the acid
Increasing pH by 1, decreases acid 10-times
A food with pH greater than 4.6 is considered
‘low acid’
• A food with pH 4.6 or lower is ‘high acid’
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Average pH Values of Food
Food Item
pH
Food Item
pH
Lemons
Oranges
Strawberries
Grapes
2.2
3.0
3.0
4.0
Beef
Pork
Chicken
Lettuce
6.0
6.0
6.0
6.0
Tomatoes
Cheese
Carrots
4.0 *
5.0
6.0
Fish
Milk
Seafood
6.5
6.2
7.5
Potatoes
6.0
Egg white
8.0
Many foods are mixtures of high-acid and low-acid ingredients.
*Tomatoes must be acidified to be safely canned.
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pH and Growth of Microbes
• Yeast and mold grow at a lower pH than
bacteria
• Most bacteria grow best at a pH of 6.0-7.0 (they
have a minimum and maximum for growth)
• pH can be adjusted to control the growth of
microorganisms
• pH is critical to controlling the growth of
Clostridium botulinum
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TEMPERATURE
• Psychrotrophs (cold growing)
–Grow best 58°F to 68°F
–Grow slowly in refrigerator (40°)
• Mesophiles*(warm loving)
–Grow best 86°F to 98°F
–C. botulinum is a concern
• Thermophiles (hot loving)
–Grow best 122°F to 150°F
Many pathogens are mesophiles.
Clostridium botulinum
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•
•
•
•
Spore-forming bacterium
Anaerobe (grows without oxygen)
Found naturally in soil
Spores germinate at pH greater than 4.6
When spores germinate and grow, they produce a
potent neurotoxin
• Some spores are very heat tolerant, surviving hours
of boiling
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Condition for neurotoxin
formation:
• Anaerobic environment
• pH greater than 4.6
• Temperature above 40°F
Growing cells produce TOXIN
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‘Recipe’ for Danger
1 Food, pH above 4.6
1 Vacuum-sealed canning jar
1 Room @ standard temperature
ADD:
C. botulinum spores
WAIT! You don’t need to add these, they
can be isolated from soil or water
practically anywhere in the world!
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Botulism Strikes Spokane Mother, Two Children
February 28, 2009
…The Associated Press reported that three people in Spokane,
Washington, have become ill from botulism. The botulism
apparently occurred from improper canning techniques used in
home-canning of green beans from a private home garden.
The woman was a nurse in her 30s with two
children under ten. She became ill enough to be
put on a ventilator; the children suffered milder
symptoms. The incident was linked to difficult
economic times.
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Measuring pH
• Foods with pH 4.0 or less
– pH test paper (colorimetric)
– A color change is compared to a
standard in order to determine pH
• Foods with pH greater than 4.0
– pH meter is required
– The amount of acid in solution (H+)
is related to an electrical potential
and a numerical result is generated
List of testing labs:
www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/pdf_Files/Testing_Labs_0110.pdf
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Effective Acidifiers
[Not all acids are created equal!]
• Acetic acid is the acid in vinegar. Use vinegar standardized to
5% acetic acid. Homemade vinegar, balsamic vinegar, wine
vinegar are not standardized to 5% acidity and should not be
used. Cider vinegar (5% acetic acid) can be used.
• Citric acid is the acid found in citrus fruits. It is available as a
solid, or added as bottled lemon juice. It is the most commonly
used acid in foods due to its low cost and high acid strength.
• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is not an effective
acidifier; it is used as an antioxidant to prevent
browning of light-colored fruits.
Other acidifiers: lactic, phosphoric, etc. can
also be used. Follow label-use directions.
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Canning Terms
• Headspace –the unfilled space above food or
liquid in jars; allows food to
expand and a vacuum seal to form
• Hot-fill –heating foods to boiling, packing in hot
sanitized jars, sealing, and holding at a high
temperature for a given time (hot-fill-hold)
• Hot pack –placing hot food into hot jars before
processing. Different from raw pack which
places raw food into hot jars.
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Establishing a Canning Process
…writing a recipe that will work!
• Set the ingredients and amounts
• Check pH of your first batch of
each recipe each year (must be less
than or equal to 4.6 for all products)
• Use and always follow a tested
recipe
• Heat process to stabilize product
and ensure a seal
– Boiling water or steam canning
– Hot-fill-hold
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Establishing a Canning Process
…other things to keep in mind
Adjust for elevation when canning!
• Water boils at a lower temperature as
elevation increases
– Increase processing time for boiling water
canning
– All darker-shaded areas are above 1,000
feet and require recipe adjustment
Sources of pre-approved recipes
– USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
www.uga.edu/nchfp/ - 1994 or later
– UWEX Safe Food Preservation Series (2008)
www.foodsafety.wisc.edu
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A Brief Review: Boiling Water Canning
• Place prepared jars in 6” of water in canner.
– Hot packed jars - simmering water (180°F)
– Raw packed jars - hot water (140°)
• Place jars on rack in canner.
• Water must be over the tops of
the jars by at least 1 inch.
• Begin timing when water reaches
an active boil.
• Adjust for elevation.
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2
3
1
Steps in Canning Salsa
1. Canner with lid
2. Jars &lids
3. Fill hot jars with hot
salsa
4. Check headspace
5. Wipe jar rims before 4
applying lid
5
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Steps in Canning Salsa (cont).
6. Place jars in canner filled ½-way with hot water
7. Process in boiling water – water covers jar lids by 1-2 inches
8. At the end of processing, remove jars and cool
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6
8
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After Processing…Now What?
• Allow containers to cool away from drafts – Do
NOT touch or tighten closures while cooling!
• Once cool: check for vacuum seal
• Sell only jars that are sealed and produced
from an approved recipe
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Labeling your Jars
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Name of the Product
Name and Address of the Producer
Ingredient Statement (most to least)
Canned foods should be labeled: For
Date or Lot Code
quality, refrigerate after opening
“This product was made in a home
not subject to state licensing or
inspection.”
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High Quality Products from Your
Kitchen
• Use only equipment in good working order
–Beware of rusted pots or pans, damaged or heavily
scarred cutting board
• Keep all kitchen surfaces clean (including hands)
–Keep pets out of the kitchen!
• People handling food must be healthy
–Protect food from open sores
–Use hair restraints
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Cleaning and Sanitizing
• Clean all raw agricultural products
– water only, don’t use bleach or soap
• Water must be of good sanitary quality
• Clean all equipment after each use (removing
food debris helps keep microbes at bay)
• Sanitizing after cleaning to destroy
microorganisms that remain on clean
surfaces
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Sanitizing
Sanitizing always follows cleaning.
Common sanitizers for equipment and surfaces:
• Immerse 30 sec in clean, hot water (170°F+)
• Immerse 2 min in warm chlorine (75°-110°F)
– 100-200 ppm available Cl– 1 Tablespoon bleach per gallon of water
• NOTE: more is NOT better!
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Kitchen Checklist
Safe water
Well maintained working areas & equipment
Cross contamination is avoided
Non-food chemicals properly used & stored
Pest control safe and effective, family pets at
bay
Good health & hygiene for anyone handling
food
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Something Special from your
Kitchen
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