Sanitation and Operating Conditions Cider pressing operations are considered to be food-processing plants and must adhere to the strict fundamental principles of sanitation.
Proper sanitation increases the quality of cider and prolongs shelf life.
Apples Use only firm, ripe, wholesome apples. The use of wormy, decayed, damaged, or rotten fruit is prohibited and such fruit must be discarded. Machine-harvested drop apples cannot be used for cider. Only drops that were harvested from this year's crop may be used for cider. A log identifying the source of all apples used in each production lot must be maintained.