"Jam" is a regulated name. FDA's standard for fruit preserves and jams says what has to be in the jar before the label can say it. For fruits like strawberry, cherry, raspberry and blueberry, the recipe needs at least 47 parts fruit to 55 parts sugar by weight. For peach, apricot, plum, pear, guava and the other "Group II" fruits, or any mix that includes one, it's 45 to 55. The finished jam needs at least 65% soluble solids, measured with a refractometer. A single-fruit jam is named for its fruit, "Strawberry Jam" or "Strawberry Preserves". A mixed jam names its fruits in order of weight, each at least a fifth of the fruit. A lower-sugar recipe that misses 65% isn't jam under the standard, so it needs another name, and makers often call it a fruit spread. The rest of the label is the usual: net weight on the front, ingredients by weight, your name and address. In the example below, a Michigan cherry preserves maker checks four recipes against the standard.
The short version
- "Jam" and "preserves" are standardized names under 21 CFR 150.160.
- Group I fruits (strawberry, cherry, raspberry, blueberry and others): at least 47 parts fruit to 55 parts sugar.
- Group II fruits (peach, apricot, plum, pear, guava and others), or a mix with one: at least 45 to 55.
- Finished jam: at least 65% soluble solids.
- Name: "Cherry Jam"; a mix names its fruits by weight, each at least a fifth.
- Lower sugar and under 65%: not jam by the standard; often sold as a fruit spread.
- The rest: net weight on the front, ingredients by weight, your name and address.
- TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the fruit-to-sugar ratio comes from what you make. More below.
The standard, in a table
| Part | Group I fruit | Group II fruit, or a mix with one |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Blackberry, blueberry, cherry, grape, raspberry, rhubarb, strawberry | Apricot, cranberry, fig, guava, peach, pear, plum, quince |
| Fruit to sugar | At least 47 to 55 | At least 45 to 55 |
| Soluble solids | At least 65% | At least 65% |
| Name | "Cherry Jam" or "Cherry Preserves" | "Peach Jam"; a mix in order of weight |
The fruit's weight is counted without pits, seeds, skins and added sugar or water. Pectin, acid and buffers are allowed, and on the label they can be followed by "used as needed". Fruits not on either list, such as passion fruit, aren't covered by the standard at all. How a home kitchen sells jam is in starting a jam business, and the cost of a jar in jam business plan.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| The standard | Preserves and jams from the fruits listed, with sweeteners, spice, acid, pectin and a few others (21 CFR 150.160) |
| Fruit to sugar | At least 47 parts fruit to 55 parts sugar for Group I fruits only; 45 to 55 otherwise (150.160(d)(1)) |
| Soluble solids | At least 65% in the finished jam (150.160(d)(5)) |
| Mixed fruit | Two to five fruits, each at least one-fifth of the fruit; named in order of weight (150.160(b)(2), (e)(1)) |
| Ingredients | By common name, heaviest first (21 CFR 101.4); acid, pectin and buffers may say "used as needed" |
| Net weight | On the front, in the bottom 30%, in ounces (21 CFR 101.7) |
Cottage food rules add their own label lines, by state, and a co-packer's labels are in jam co-packer. This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a Michigan preserves maker's four recipes
Old Mission Preserves, a made-up tart cherry preserves maker in Traverse City, Michigan, checked four 200-jar recipes before ordering new labels:
| Recipe | Fruit | Sugar | Needs | Has | Solids | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tart cherry | 90 lb | 100 lb | 0.85 | 0.90 | 66% | Tart Cherry Jam |
| Cherry blueberry, 50 lb and 30 lb | 80 lb | 92 lb | 0.85 | 0.87 | 65.5% | Cherry Blueberry Jam |
| Cherry peach, 60 lb and 30 lb | 90 lb | 108 lb | 0.82 | 0.83 | 66% | Cherry Peach Jam |
| Tart cherry, less sugar | 90 lb | 60 lb | 0.85 | 1.50 | 52% | Tart Cherry Fruit Spread |
"Needs" is 47 ÷ 55 for Group I fruits and 45 ÷ 55 for a mix with peach, a Group II fruit. The less-sugar recipe has plenty of fruit but only 52% soluble solids, so it can't be called jam; it went out as a fruit spread, with its own label. The cherry blueberry name puts cherry first because it's the heavier fruit. The jam labels read "Net Wt 9 oz (255 g)", with the ingredients "tart cherries, sugar, pectin, citric acid (used as needed)".
Get the checker
Download the jam standard checker. One sheet: each recipe's fruit and sugar by weight, the fruit group, the smallest fruit's share in a mix and the soluble solids you measured; the ratio it needs, the ratio it has and whether it can be called jam fill in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The checker is right for the recipe on paper. When a batch runs short of cherries and someone adds more sugar to make up the weight, the ratio in the kettle isn't the one on the sheet.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight and records what each batch really used.
Recipes by weight, with versions. Each jam is a recipe in pounds or grams, and a change, like the less-sugar version, is a new version on record.
Batches record what they used. A batch takes cherries, sugar and pectin off stock from the recipe, and the actual amounts can be changed on the batch when the kettle differs, with the lots it used.
Your own fields. Fields of your own on the batch record can hold the refractometer reading and who took it.
| The job | Binder | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit to sugar for a recipe | Worked out by hand | The recipe by weight |
| What a batch really used | A note in the margin | Actual amounts on the batch |
| Each batch's soluble solids | A separate log | A field on the batch record |
| Which stores got a batch | Invoices | One recall report |
Recipes, batches, lots and recalls are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.