Retort co-packers
Seal first, then cook in the container. Shelf-stable soups, meals and beans. Every fact is checked against the manufacturer's own published information, with the date we checked it.
Retort works the other way round from hot fill: the product is sealed in its can, jar or pouch first, then heated in the container1. It is the route to shelf-stable soups, meals, beans and other low-acid products.
Most of those products are low-acid foods, with a finished pH above 4.6 and a water activity above 0.85. FDA's rule requires a process at least equivalent to one established by a competent processing authority, so that the sealed food reaches commercial sterility: free of microorganisms that can reproduce in normal storage without refrigeration. Tomato products below pH 4.7 are not classed as low-acid2. The plant registers and files its processes with FDA3.
In this directory
9 plants in this directory state retort sterilization on their own websites. They are spread across 11 states, with the most in California, Indiana and Kentucky. 1 publish a minimum order, 8 state a GFSI-benchmarked certificate and 6 say they take startups or pilot runs.
What they make
- Sauces and marinades5
- Soups and broths4
- Baby and kids food3
- Dips and spreads3
- Frozen meals3
- Shelf-stable meals3
- Juice2
- RTD tea and coffee2
Packages they fill
- Spouted pouches5
- Stand-up pouches4
- Bags and flexible film3
- Retort pouches3
- Trays and clamshells3
- Bag-in-box2
- Bulk and foodservice2
- Glass bottles2
Certifications they state
- SQF7
- HACCP4
- USDA Organic4
- Non-GMO Project3
- GMP2
- Kosher2
- BRCGS1
Retort equipment these plants publish
- AmeriQual Group (AmeriQual Foods)Retort spouted pouches (pre-formed and form-fill-seal)
- Baxters North AmericaStatic and rotational retorts
- Initiative FoodsOnline X-ray scanner checking each jar before casing
- Maryland PackagingVFFS pillow pouch
- NC Food Innovation LabAllpax 2402 retort and Dixie vacuum can seamer
- Prospectors LLCLow-acid retort for 12 oz sleek cans, sleeved or pressure sensitive labels
- SOPAKCO PackagingRetort pouch lines (foil and non-foil microwaveable)
- The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincolnwater-immersion agitating retort, can sealer/seamer, exhaust box
The plants
Filter these in the directory- Evansville, IN
Shelf-stable food processor in Evansville, Indiana, that contract manufactures and private labels low-acid foods in retort spouted, pillow and stand-up pouches and rigid containers for...
Process
RetortPouch fillingLow-acid canned foods (21 CFR 113)Packaging
Retort pouchesSpouted pouchesStand-up pouchesMinimum order
Not publishedSQF (level not verified) - Cincinnati, OH (also KY, OR)
Turnkey contract manufacturer of shelf-stable, ready-to-eat and frozen foods headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with plants in Salem, Oregon and East Bernstadt, Kentucky. Uses static and...
Process
RetortTunnel pasteurizationEmulsifying and homogenizingPouch fillingPackaging
Stand-up pouchesSpouted pouchesBags and flexible filmTrays and clamshells+1 moreMinimum order
Not publishedSQF (level not verified) - Sanger, CA
Private label and contract baby food manufacturer in Sanger, California, cooking organic, natural and conventional shelf-stable baby foods in rotary retorts and packing them in glass...
Process
RetortPackaging
TubsGlass jarsSpouted pouchesMinimum order
Not publishedBRCGS - Halethorpe, MD
Food and beverage co-manufacturer and co-packer, also trading as Clean Label Gourmet Foods, with two plants in Elkridge and Halethorpe, Maryland. It offers in-house HPP, hot, cold and...
Process
HPP (in house)Hot fillCold fillCold pressingSous videRetort+4 morePackaging
Plastic bottlesGlass bottlesSpouted pouchesStand-up pouches+8 moreMinimum order
Minimum is one production shift; a smaller order is possible but is billed as a full shiftSQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs - Kannapolis, NC
NC State cGMP pilot plant of 16,000 sq ft at the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina, offering ideation, product and process development, scale-up and pilot production for...
Process
Spray dryingFreeze dryingDehydrationExtrusionMilling and grindingDry blending+13 morePackaging
Bag-in-boxBags and flexible filmMinimum order
Not publishedTakes startups or pilot runs - Caledonia, MI
Cold brew coffee maker in Caledonia, Michigan that private labels, co-manufactures and co-packs specialty beverages. Runs low-acid retort canning for cold brew and nitro coffee in 12 oz...
Process
BrewingHot fillCold fillRetortLow-acid canned foods (21 CFR 113)Acidified foods (21 CFR 114)+4 morePackaging
Aluminum cansPlastic bottlesGlass bottlesBag-in-box+2 moreMinimum order
Not publishedSQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs - Mullins, SC
Shelf-stable food processor and co-packer headquartered in Mullins, South Carolina, specializing in retort pouches, hot-fill fitment pouches, heat-and-serve bowls, trays and cups, and...
Process
RetortHot fillPouch fillingPackaging
Retort pouchesSpouted pouchesStand-up pouchesTrays and clamshells+1 moreMinimum order
Not publishedSQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs - Oxford, PA
Oxford, Pennsylvania co-manufacturer and private labeler, in business since 1995, that makes small-batch natural and organic foods for national brands and retailers. Retorts soups,...
Process
RetortHot fillAcidified foods (21 CFR 114)Packaging
Glass jarsMinimum order
Not publishedSQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs - Lincoln, NE
University of Nebraska-Lincoln service center in the Food Innovation Center in Lincoln, operating since 1983, that offers product and process development, pilot plant scale-up,...
Process
ExtrusionHPP (in house)Batch pasteurizationEmulsifying and homogenizingSpray dryingFreeze drying+9 moreMinimum order
Not publishedSQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
Read before you call
- Low-acid canned foods and acidified foods: the pH 4.6 line
- Process authorities compared: fees and turnaround
Other processes
Sources
- Graham Packaging, Product Fill Types (Company; read through a search summary, the page itself was not opened in full)
- 21 CFR 113.3, definitions for low-acid canned foods (Cornell LII) (Government)
- FDA, Establishment Registration and Process Filing for Acidified and Low-Acid Canned Foods (Government)
General information, not legal or regulatory advice. Confirm your product's requirements with a process authority or regulator. Plant facts come from each manufacturer's own published information; see the data policy.