WHEN IS A FERMENTED FOOD NOT COVERED BY THE LOW-ACID CANNED FOOD OR ACIDIFIED FOOD REGULATIONS?
A. Fermented foods are not covered by these regulations, and thus do not need to have processes filed with FDA, if the food is naturally fermented whereby the pH of the food is reduced to 4.6 or below by the production of acid from the growth of acid-producing microorganisms. If fermentation does not lower the pH to 4.6 or below and an acidulant is added to further reduce the pH to 4.6 or below, this product would be covered by the acidified foods regulations. • • Q. DO PILOT PLANTS HAVE TO REGISTER? A. Yes, pilot plants which produce samples of acidified or low-acid canned foods for market or consumer testing within the United States must also register with FDA. • • Q. IS REGISTRATION AND PROCESS FILING THE SAME FOR U.S. FIRMS AND FIRMS LOCATED IN OTHER COUNTRIES? A. Yes, registration and process filing is the same for all commercial acidified and low-acid canned food processors located in the United States and processors in other countries. However, processors in other countries need
