A32-Umcastef Farming, Saturday, May 27, 2000
Cider Workshop Updates
Producers On Safe Processing
Methods, Pending Regulations
GENEVA, N.Y. When
food scientists at Cornell Uni
versity’s New York State (NYS)
Agricultural Experiment Station
in Geneva planned a workshop
on “Approved Processing Op
tions for Safe Apple Cider Pro
duction” Feb. 17, they thought
low attendance might be a prob
lem.
As it turned out, Randy
Worobo and Olga Padilla-
Zakour had to extend the work
shop a second day to
accommodate the nearly 70 pro
ducers who signed up.
“The workshop was intended
to be a hands-on demonstration
of proper sanitation steps at
each point in the apple cider
production as well as the differ
ent processing options currently
available to cider marketers to
ensure a safe and
wholesome product,”
said Worobo, who
helped test the re
cently approved ultra
violet light processing
method. “The goal
was to inform produc
ers of proven and/or
approved methods for
safe cider production
and FDA proposals
that might affect their
industry,”
Joe Corby, director
of food safety and in
spection at the New
York State Depart
ment of Ag and Mar
kets, opened the
workshop with an
overview on new regu
latory initiatives. He
noted that many re
tailers are reluctant or
unwilling to buy fresh
fruits and vegetables
directly from growers
without some kind of
official inspection that
certifies quality and
safety. In response to
this concern, a Na
tional Food Safety
System is in the plan
ning stages. Under the
plan, state agencies
will coordinate their
inspection efforts with
the FDA to allow
greater coverage and
minimize duplication.
Most food inspec
tion occurs at the state
and local levels. NYS
Ag & Markets has a
staff of 80-90 inspec
tors covering approxi
mately 30,000
establishments. Last
year they conducted
200 inspections of
cider facilities, licens
ing 182. After outlin
ing the deficiencies
inspectors encoun
tered, Corby indicated
that the cider industry
has done a good job of
policing itself and up
grading its sanitation.
The most common
critical deficiency was
cooper contamination
introduced by brass
fittings on equipment.
Although the FDA has
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banned the use of brass fittings,
NYS has adopted a
wait-and-see attitude until re
search findings verify a need for
stricter regulations.
Because consumers prefer the
taste of unpasteurized juice,
many producers were curious
whether the FDA had approved
ultraviolet exposure as a safe al
ternative to pasteurization. Al
though UV treatment does alter
the taste of the cider a bit, many
consider it preferable to heat
treatments, which can dramatic
ally affect taste. In the absence
of an FDA ruling, New York has
recognized that UV-treated
cider satisfies the 5-log reduc
tion requirement, which means
cider so processed can be sold
without the warning label advis
ing consumers of the potential
risks associated with consuming
cider that has not undergone
some kind of microbial treat
ment.
Corby, also briefed the group
on the Hazard Analysis Critical
Control Point system (HACCP).
In the near future, all cider pro
ducers will likely be required to
submit a HACCP plan that out
lines the steps they take to moni
tor, document, and verify the
safety of their cider-production
process. Corby predicts that ail
food products will have a
HACCP protocol. Ag & Markets
is eager to help producers de
velop a HACCP plan. He also
emphasized the important role
that producers play in keeping
food safe. “The government
isn’t going to improve food
safety by itself,” he said.
Padilla-Zakour and Worobo
provided a hands-on demonstra
tion of cider-production in the
Fruit and Vegetable Processing
Pilot Plant, highlighting the crit-
ical points and proper sanitation cider evaluation and documen
methods at every step of the pro- tation procedures.
cess. In the afternoon, they dem- During lunch, Shelley Page,
onstrated various processing of the New York Apple Associa
options to achieve the mandated tion, led a discussion on the
5-log reduction, the role of merits of forming a cider pro
preservatives, bottling, and stor- ducers’ guild in New York State,
age recommendations, as well as