What a process authority does
For acidified foods, the scheduled process is the process selected as adequate to make and keep a food that will not allow microorganisms of public health significance to grow1. For low-acid canned foods it has to be at least equivalent to a process established by a competent processing authority to reach commercial sterility2.
In practice, you or your formulator supply the formula and its measurements, the process authority evaluates the product and issues the scheduled process, and the plant files it with FDA34.
Published fees: Cornell Food Venture Center
Cornell publishes its fees, with one price for New York clients and another for everyone else5:
| Service | New York | Outside New York | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client registration, one time | $30 | $60 | Not stated |
| Lab analysis only, per sample per test | $30 | $45 | 1 week |
| Analysis and review only, per product | $50 | $80 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Scheduled process, per product | $95 | $190 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Scheduled process, expedited | $190 | $380 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Scheduled process for meat, per product | $150 | $300 | Not stated |
| Scheduled process for meat, expedited | $300 | $600 | Not stated |
| Better Process Control School, acidified, 2 days | $445 | Not stated | 2 days |
Fees reported for other programs
These come from search summaries that could not be confirmed on the pages themselves, so check the current fee before you rely on it. Michigan State's Product Center was reported at $125 per project covering up to two recipes, plus $50 for each additional recipe6. The University of Missouri was reported at $150 per product in state and $200 out of state7.
Who pays, and when you need a new letter
No regulation says whether the brand or the plant pays the process authority, so agree it in writing.
A scheduled process is tied to a specific product and container size: the plant files one for each acidified food in each container size4. A new bottle size means a new filing, and a reformulated recipe goes back to the process authority for a new letter8. Switching plants is not free either; expect at least a new filing at the new plant.
Whoever supervises acidified food production needs an approved course. NC State runs a fully online Acidified Foods Manufacturing School9, and Cornell's two-day Better Process Control School is $4455.
Sources
- 21 CFR 114.3, definitions for acidified foods (Cornell LII) (Government)
- 21 CFR 113.3, definitions for low-acid canned foods (Cornell LII) (Government)
- NC State Extension, Resources and Steps for Acidified Processors (University)
- 21 CFR 108.25, acidified food registration and process filing (Cornell LII) (Government)
- Cornell Food Venture Center, Services and Fees (University)
- Michigan State University, Process Authority Review (University; read through a search summary, the page itself was not opened in full)
- University of Missouri Extension, Food Processing and Safety Lab Services (University; read through a search summary, the page itself was not opened in full)
- Washington State Department of Agriculture, Industry Guidance: Acidified Foods (Government)
- NC State Extension, Acidified Foods Manufacturing School (University)
General information, not legal, regulatory or financial advice. Published figures are examples from the cited sources, not quotes. Confirm requirements for your product with a process authority, regulator or adviser.