Canned cranberry sauce is the jellied or semi-jellied product prepared from clean, sound, matured or fairly well-matured cranberries; a sweetening ingredient or sweetening ingredients, and water. Pectin may be added but only in a quantity which reasonably compensates for deficiency, if any, of the natural pectin content of the cranberries. The mixture is concentrated and sufficiently processed by heat to assure preservation of the product in hermetically sealed containers. The soluble solids of the finished product is not less than 35 percent and not more than 45 percent.
Grades of Canned Cranberry Sauce
U.S. Grade A or U.S. Fancy is the quality of canned cranberry sauce that possesses a good color; that possesses a good consistency and good texture; that is practically free from defects; that possesses a good flavor and odor; and that scores not less than 85 points when scored in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this subpart.
U.S. Grade C or U.S. Standard is the quality of canned cranberry sauce that possesses a fairly good color; that possesses a fairly good consistency and a fairly good texture; that is fairly free from defects; that possesses a fairly good flavor and odor; and that scores not less than 70 points when scored in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this subpart.
U.S. Grade D or Substandard is the quality of canned cranberry sauce that fails to meet the requirements of U.S. Grade C or U.S. Standard.
Inspection Aid
Headspace Gauge
SeeHow to Purchase Inspection Aidsfor more details.
Detailed standards, Inspection Instructions & Other Resources:
- U.S. Grade Standards for Canned Cranberry Sauce (pdf)
- Certification Manual
- Condition of Container Manual
- FDA Food Defect Action Level
- Foreign Material Manual
- General Procedures Manual
- Safety Manual
- Sampling Manual
- Sanitation Manual
- SC 364-19 Score Sheet for Canned Cranberry Sauce
- Technical Procedures Manual
- U.S. Standards for Determination of Fill Weights
- U.S. Standards for Inspection by Variables
