All Juice processors in California must obtain a Processed Food
Registration (PFR) from California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug
Branch. (See Link Below)
“Juice”
is defined as the aqueous liquid expressed or extracted
from one or more fruits or vegetables, purees of the edible portions of one or
more fruits or vegetables, or any concentrates of such liquid or puree. (Title
21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 120.1(a))
All processed juice sold as juice or for use as an ingredient
in other beverages is subject to the requirements of the Juice HACCP (Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points) regulation. HACCP is a
systematic approach to the identification, evaluation, and control of food
safety hazards.
All juice processors subject to the juice HACCP regulation are required
to prepare a written hazard analysis of their juice products. The hazard
analysis is prepared by collecting and evaluating information on hazards
associated with the food under consideration to decide which hazards are
significant and therefore must be addressed in the HACCP plan.
In order to meet the requirements of the Juice HACCP regulation,
processors of juice products must operate under a HACCP plan that identifies
possible hazards, which includes control measures to ensure the safety of the
juice. Processing step(s) that will consistently reduce pathogenic
bacteria in the finished juice are required. The regulation states
that juice processors must include steps in their HACCP plans to achieve, at a
minimum, a 5 log reduction in the pertinent microorganism, for a period
equivalent to the shelf life of the product when stored under normal and
moderate abuse conditions.
The juice HACCP regulation requires that processors apply HACCP
principles if they make 100 percent juice or a concentrate of that juice for
subsequent beverages. For beverages containing less than 100 percent juice, only
the juice ingredient must be made under the HACCP principles.
Retail Establishment means an operation that
provides juice directly to consumers on-site and does not sell or
distribute juice to other businesses. The term "provides" includes storing,
preparing, packaging, serving, and selling juice.
A retail establishment that packages juice for off-site sale to their
own satellite retail outlets DOES require a PFR for the processing
location.
A qualified “retail establishment” is not required to process juice
under the HACCP regulation. However, packaged juice produced at a retail
establishment is subject to the food labeling regulations, found in 21 CFR Part
101.17(g), which requires a warning statement on fruit and vegetable juice
products that have not been processed to prevent, reduce, or eliminate
pathogenic microorganisms.