Jan 8, 2007

Law Makes Cider Pasteurization Mandatory in New York State

A new law that goes into effect this week calls for mandatory pasteurization or ultraviolet treatment of all apple cider produced in New York.

“The law is designed to safeguard our industry and give consumers 100 percent confidence that our cider is safe and wholesome,” said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association.

“In light of news-grabbing headlines of contaminated spinach and other fresh produce, we feel it’s vital that we assure the public that our products are absolutely safe,” Allen said. “The only way to make that claim is to make pasteurization mandatory.”

The new law calls for producers to achieve a five-log, or 99.999 percent, reduction in all pathogens, especially E. coli 0157:H7 and cryptosporidium. Of the 200-plus cider producers in the state, less than 50 sell untreated apple cider.

Anyone who manufactures, processes or sells cider is subject to the law. Non-compliance could lead to a civil penalty of $1,000 per instance, according to the state agriculture department, which will enforce the law.

The cider treatment law was first scheduled to go into effect last July, but the state legislature granted a six-month extension to non-treating producers to give them time to purchase equipment.

The measure follows a unanimous resolution in 2004 by the New York Apple Association Board of Directors to urge the state legislature to pass such a law.

Cider experts from Cornell University have strongly advocated for mandatory five-log treatment of all cider. Cornell officials recommended the industry take the step of urging the legislature to make treatment a law.

In October 2004, an outbreak of food-borne illness in the Lake Champlain region of New York was blamed on contaminated cider that was unpastuerized.

The treatment methods preserve the shelf life of the product when stored under normal and moderate conditions, according to experts. It does not affect the taste of the cider.