Packaging Juices at Retail

Manufacturing packaged (bottled) fruit and vegetable juices has increased in popularity in recent years due to the health benefits that juices can provide for consumers. To keep packaged juices healthy for consumers, retail food establishments must adhere to proper food safety protocols. 

When juices are packaged, they are subjected to a low oxygen environment that can support the rapid growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Many fruit and vegetable juices are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of microorganisms that cause foodborne illness; however, even acidic juices that are untreated and packaged can support the survival of bacteria like Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella.

Due to the increased risk of foodborne illness associated with packaged juices, retail food establishments must have the proper food safety procedures in place to control the survival of illness-causing microorganisms. Retail food establishments wishing to package juices can fall into one of two categories: 

Packaging juices for on-site sale ONLY: Retail food establishments that wish to package unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices exclusively for sale in their own establishment do not require a HACCP Plan. However, all packaged juices are required to be labeled with a warning to inform the consumer of the elevated risk for foodborne illness associated with unpasteurized, packaged juice. The warning must be on the front of the package label, clearly visible to the consumer, and state, “WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.”

If your establishment wishes to package/bottle fresh juice for retail sale directly to your customers, there are additional requirements that must be met prior to production. Guidelines for Safe Juice Bottling Operations provides guidance on how to conduct safe retail juice bottling operations within Portsmouth. Packaging unpasteurized juice in a retail food environment requires an operational plan and specific labeling requirements as described above to warn the public of the risks associated with consuming unpasteurized beverages. Copies of the operational plan and labels must be provided to the Portsmouth Health Department prior to production. 

Packaging juices for wholesale: Retail food establishments that wish to package fruit and vegetable juices for sale at other facilities (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.) MUST pasteurize the juice concurrently with a valid HACCP Plan and third-party validated or scientifically preapproved process. To package fruit and vegetable juices in a retail food establishment for wholesale, a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan is required to control the food safety risks associated with packaged juices; furthermore, the establishment must apply for a waiver. A waiver is a written agreement that your establishment may utilize food safety controls not explicitly described in regulations, so long as they prevent a health hazard and are supported by third-party documentation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Guidance for Processing Fresh Juice in Retail Operations: Prepared by the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). This guidance document Includes templates for record keeping requirements and labeling example.

Portsmouth Food Code References for Juice: Excerpts from the 2022 Portsmouth/FDA Food Code and Annex.  

Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers on Juice HACCP Regulation (FDA)

Please be advised that even when all prudent precautions are taken, there exists distinct and potentially serious health hazards associated with bottling unpasteurized juice. Therefore, the Portsmouth Health Department (PHD) strongly recommends that all bottled juice be pasteurized due to the inherent risks and documented illness outbreaks associated with unpasteurized juice.