Fresh Apple Cider - Good Manufacturing Practices

The following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP's) are recommended to help insure the quality and healthfulness of fresh apple cider. While these practices cannot guarantee completely product quality or healthfulness, they do reduce the risk of producing a product that does not meet the highest quality standards possible. These GMP's are intended to complement farm cider manufacturing facility-specific HACCP plans.

• Orchard Management
  • No animal manures shall be applied in orchards from which "dropped" apples will be harvested. In addition, no grazing of farm animals shall be allowed in these orchards.
    
  • Since apple bins and boxes can be contaminated with animal manures present on the orchard floor, and this manure can contaminate apples directly or indirectly in water dump apple handling systems, it is recommended that no manure or grazing be used in any producing apple orchard.
    
  • It is recommended that herbicides be used in a manner that does not result in bare soil conditions which may increase the problem of residual soil on bin skids and box bottoms.
    
  • The orchard floor should be mowed to reduce cover for voles and mice.
    
  • Take appropriate steps including deer fencing and/or the use of deterrents to minimize deer populations in the orchard.
    
    
• Harvest Management
  • All bins and apple boxes should be inspected, and if necessary, cleaned before use to eliminate:
    
    • residual soil (especially on bin skids)
    • fruits, leaves and other organic debris
      
  • Bins and apple boxes should be reserved for apple harvest and storage only. The use of these boxes for storage other materials such as equipment, fertilizer, or other miscellaneous items could result in contamination of these food storage units.
    
  • Only sound, ripe fruits should be harvested as "drops" for cider production or other food use sales.
    
  • "Drops" should be harvested at least weekly (twice weekly is preferred) to insure maximum fruit quality and reduce risk of contamination from adhered soil, etc.
    
    
• Storage of Apples
  • Ideally, apple fruits to be used for cider should be stored at temperatures between 0^o and 4.5^oC (32^o and 40^oF). This is especially important for fruit that is very ripe when that fruit will not be used for cider production for several days or weeks.
    
  • Vector management for stored apple fruits is essential. The use of the following practices to eliminate vector populations is recommended:
    • physical barriers to entry
    • trapping
    • cleanliness (elimination of attractants)
    • appropriate use of registered control materials
    • refrigeration
• Cider Production Management
  • Clean, washable clothing and footwear is recommended at all times for all people involved in the cider production operation. This could include the use of vinyl or rubber boots used exclusively in the cider facility and the use of clothing coverings such as clean, disposable Tyvek or similar suits, rubber aprons, etc. If a cider facility worker is required to leave the production facility, that worker should thoroughly clean his or her boots before re-entering the facility. The use of a boot wash station with a sanitizing solution may be useful for this purpose.
    
    
  • Thorough hand washing shall be practiced when entering the cider manufacturing facility and whenever contamination may occur (such as following use of bathroom facilities, caring for or handling animals, coughing, sneezing or using a handkerchief or disposable tissue, using tobacco, eating or drinking, handling soiled equipment or utensils, when switching from working with raw foods to working with Ready-to-Eat foods, and after engaging in any other activities that contaminate the hands). Food Code, FDA, 1995: 2-301.14.
    
    
  • Apples should be sorted to eliminate fruits that are not mature and sound prior to the washing and brushing operation.
    
    
  • Water used for all purposes in the cider operation including fruit washing and brushing, clean-up of all surfaces and equipment with which apples, pomace, or cider come in contact, washing of boots, aprons, and other clothing, and hand washing should be "potable" as defined in New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services regulations. In addition, it is recommended that water used in all apple handling systems including bin dump and flume grading systems meet this same standard.
    
    
  • Drains in sinks for hand washing, food washing, and equipment cleanup should be plumbed to prevent back siphonage.
    
    
  • The plumbing system shall be installed to preclude backflow of a solid, liquid, or gas contaminant into the water supply system at each point of use.....including on a hose.... Food Code, FDA 1995: 5-203.14.
    
    
  • It is recommended that water be tested to insure that it satisfies drinking water standards as defined by the NH Department of Environmental Services prior to the start of the cider season.
    
    
  • To reduce the risk of contamination of sound fruits by foreign matter that may inadvertently be present at the washing and brushing stage of the cider producing system, it is recommended that one or both of the following be employed:
    
    
    • a non-recirculating wash system in which only fresh, clean water is used
      
    • the use of water sanitizers used in accord with manufacturers' recommendations.
    
    
    The wash vessel will be emptied and cleaned at least daily.
    
    
  • Non-production personnel including spectators and friends should be not be allowed in the production area.
    
    
• Clean-up
  • Any equipment or surfaces (including press racks and cloths, apple grinders, pomace pumping systems used for filling cloths, etc) with which apples, pomace, or cider come in contact should be cleaned thoroughly and sanitized at least on the day of use. More frequent cleaning may be necessary in some situations.
    
    
  • Pomace should be removed from the vicinity of the press facility daily to limit attraction of vectors.
    
    
• Bottling
  • Only clean, food grade containers shall be used.
    
    
  • All cider jugs and containers should be inspected for freedom from stray plastic shards or debris prior to use. If the envelope enclosing cider jugs when stored in bulk is broken, the jugs should not be used unless thoroughly cleaned.
    
    
• Custom Pressing
  • Custom pressing of apples and other fruits is not recommended as a general practice. If custom pressing is done, the following guidelines are recommended:
    
    
    • It is recommended that only apples grown on your farm be used for custom pressing. If apples from other sources are used, it is recommended that the consumer sign a document assuring that the apples or other fruit brought in for custom pressing does not come from orchards where manure was used or animals grazed.
      
    • Custom pressing should always be done after regular farm pressing and cider bottling is completed, and the press and all other equipment, surfaces, etc with which the cider or pomace come in contact should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after the custom pressing is completed.
      
    • It is recommended that product of custom pressing be packaged in clean cider jugs provided by the custom pressing facility. If the cider is packaged in containers provided by the consumer, it is recommended that the consumer sign a release statement.
• Cider Storage
  • Cider, whether stored in bulk awaiting bottling or stored in containers awaiting sale, shall be refrigerated to achieve a storage temperature of 0 to 5^oC (32 to 41^oF).
    
• Additional Considerations
  • Cider jugs and caps must be stored in a manner that prevents contamination from vectors such as insects, birds and mammals, cleaning and industrial chemicals, pesticides, etc.
    
  • C Bulk storage of chemicals including preservatives, cleaning aids and processing aids should be outside the apple cider processing facility.
    
• Record Keeping
  • Cider processors should maintain the following records of each lot or batch of cider they process:
    
    • Source of apples
    • Amount pressed
    • Drops or hand-picked
    • Condition of apples
    • Distribution of cider
    • Lot identifier
• Labeling
  • Cider should be labeled as either 'pasteurized' or 'unpasteurized' (Language such as "In order to maintain the unique flavor of fresh apple cider, this product is unpasteurized" could be used)
    
  • The label should include the words "keep refrigerated"
    
• New Hampshire Seal of Quality
  • It is recommended that all New Hampshire apple cider producers subscribe to the New Hampshire Seal of Quality program.