FDA Ready To Eat Declaration Requirements

Hello, 

 

I've been trying to find some requirements or guidelines that state how to declare a ready to eat product and what entails a ready to eat product, i've read some guides and FDA definitions,  but i don't undestand them or find them very vague, is there a helpfull soul that can assit me in undertanding this more easily,

 

Thank you in advance and sorry for my bad english, This is my first time writing in a forum!

Ready-to-eat food (RTE food) means any food that is normally eaten in its raw state or any other food, including a processed food, for which it is reasonably foreseeable that the food will be eaten without further processing that would significantly minimize biological hazards.

Sent from my motorola one power using Tapatalk

Thank you for your reply !

 

I have another question,

 

where can I see what  ..."reasonably foreseeable that the food will be eaten without further processing"... entails? Is there a list or guide of the products that can be pass as RTE?

 

Thanks in advance  ^_^

Think of it as a food you just open and eat without any further processing like cooking for instance. Canned meats & veggies, Deli meats, bakery products, certain snacks, candies, RTE prepared meals...etc

The phrase “reasonably foreseeable that the food will be eaten without further processing” is the key. This phrase applies to almost any food - frozen peas (people thaw them and use in a salad without cooking), cookie dough (how many people eat it raw?), etc. Consider how a consumer could use your product without cooking it, and somebody probably will. I heard one ex-FDA official use the example of someone who had blogged about using raw French fries as a teething remedy for her baby!

A lot of people think RTE is strictly for retail products, but it can be for ingredients, too.  If your product does not require additional processing to reduce hazards (e.g. microbiological, physical, etc.) it could be considered RTE.  You have to decide for yourself.