Wisconsin

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Wisconsins Pickle Bill

• 2010

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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 Cant 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

• 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
• On each jar
• Also on each jar
• Name and address of person who did the canning
• Date of canning
• Ingredients in decreasing order of predominance

These products are homemade in a kitchen that has
not been subject to state inspection
This product was made in a home not subject to
state licensing or inspection.
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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_at_wi.gov
• Canning processes and recipes UW-Extension
• Your county office
• UW-Extension specialist Dr. Barbara Ingham
• 608-263-7383
• bhingham_at_wisc.edu

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Home Canning Do It Safely
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Microorganisms

• Microorganisms which can grow and cause spoilage
  or illness must be destroyed in the canning
  process
• 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

Rod-shaped E. coli O157H7
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 isnt 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 Acid H Notation Acid/Base
1 0.1 1 x 10-1 Acid
2 0.01 1 x 10-2 Acid
3 0.001 1 x 10-3 Acid
4 0.0001 1 x 10-4 Acid
7 0.0000001 1 x 10-7 Neutral
8 0.00000001 1 x 10-8 Base
9 0.000000001 1 x 10-9 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 2.2 Beef 6.0
Oranges 3.0 Pork 6.0
Strawberries 3.0 Chicken 6.0
Grapes 4.0 Lettuce 6.0
Tomatoes 4.0 Fish 6.5
Cheese 5.0 Milk 6.2
Carrots 6.0 Seafood 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 58F to 68F
• Grow slowly in refrigerator (40)
• Mesophiles(warm loving)
• Grow best 86F to 98F
• C. botulinum is a concern
• Thermophiles (hot loving)
• Grow best 122F to 150F
• Many pathogens are mesophiles.

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Clostridium botulinum

• 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 40F

?Growing cells produce TOXIN
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Recipe for Danger

• 1 Food, pH above 4.6
• 1 Vacuum-sealed canning jar
• 1 Room _at_ standard temperature
• ADD
• C. botulinum spores
• WAIT! You dont 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/ass
ets/pdf_Files/Testing_Labs_0110.pdf
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Effective AcidifiersNot 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 Processother 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 (180F)
• 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
• Canner with lid
• Jars lids
• Fill hot jars with hot salsa
• Check headspace
• Wipe jar rims before applying lid

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4
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• Steps in Canning Salsa (cont).
• Place jars in canner filled ½-way with hot water
• Process in boiling water water covers jar lids
  by 1-2 inches
• At the end of processing, remove jars and cool

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6
8
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After ProcessingNow 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

• Name of the Product
• Name and Address of the Producer
• Ingredient Statement (most to least)
• Date or Lot Code
• This product was made in a home
• not subject to state licensing or
• inspection.

Canned foods should be labeled For quality,
refrigerate after opening
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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, dont 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 (170F)
• Immerse 2 min in warm chlorine (75-110F)
• 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