A Potentially Hazardous Food (PHF) is a food that requires time-temperature control to keep the food safe for human consumption. A PHF contains moisture (water activity > 0.850), protein and a pH between 4.6 and 7.5. OR are foods that require time-temperature control to keep them safe for human consumption. In general, foods with a water activity greater than 0.85, contain protein and/or are slightly acidic (a pH between 4.6 and 7.5)

A Potentially Hazardous Condiment is a spice or sauce that is added to food, typically, after cooking, to impart a specific flavor or complement a dish. This product will be acidified with a pH of 4.6 or below and water activity above 0.85. This product must have a process authority, and a WVDA Label Review. This product may require time and/or temperature control. Examples may include mustard, ketchup, horseradish, etc.

For potentially hazardous products to be sold at farmers markets in West Virginia, basic requirements must be followed to ensure the products are safely handled and prepared. An outline of this may be found on page 16, but requirements set forth in WV 61CSR38 include:

Letter of Process Authority
A copy of the letter from a process authority must be supplied to the WVDA to sell certain potentially hazardous foods, such as sauces, salsas, fermented, and picked products. A list of these may be found at the link below.

List of Potentially Hazardous Foods, not all inclusive
Raw and Cooked Meat- including bacon, beef, pork, and processed meats
Foods containing meat such as lasagna, calzones, sauces, casseroles, curries
Seafood
Fish
Poultry
Pasteurized Milk
Dairy Products- including all desserts
Cheese
Cooked Rice and Pasta
Raw Seed Sprouts
Garlic-in-oil mixtures
Fresh herb-in-oil-mixtures
Cut/prepared fresh fruits and vegetables including melons, tomatoes and salad greens
Wild Mushrooms
Baked Goods with custards, dairy, or other time temperature product inside
Salsas
Pickled Products- including piccalilli, horseradish, chutneys, corn relish, catsup, chow chow, gherkin, ginger pickle, kimchi
Fermented Foods- kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, natto, kombucha, miso, kimchi, salami, chichi, ganjang, ketchup, sour cabbage, soured milk
Cooked and Canned Beans
Cooked Soybean Products (tofu)
Mustard
Relish
Three Bean Salad
Sauces- hot, marinara, spaghetti, chimichurri, sweet and sour, tartar, creole, garlic, cranberry, pico de gallo, romesco, cocktail, sofrito, steak, satay peanut, vinaigrette, wine, worcestershire
Barbecue Sauce
Soy Sauce
Jellies and Jams with added products– hot pepper jelly, jalapeno, habanero, green, red, chili, pumpkin spice, bourbon, ghost, scorpion, beer, margarita, thai, rhubarb, ginger, hot huckleberry, lemon basil, Lime, coconut
Pumpkin Butter
Mayonnaise
Salad Dressing
Sweet Potato Pie
Meringue Pie

Training
Certificate of attendance from a good manufacturing practices (GMP) or better process control school.

Label Review Certificate from the WVDA
Note the label requirements are listed in the WVDA Farmers Market Vendor Guide.

Farmers Market Vendor Permit
All potentially hazardous foods that are prepared and sold for human consumption at WV farmers markets shall apply for and receive a WV Farmers Market Vendor permit, prior to the sale of the PHF.

Note: The above items must be completed prior to submission for the vendor permit along with the associated $35 annual fee. Note: For any potentially hazardous food that requires a time or temperature control, if the vendor is using another agent for the sale of the TTC product, it is also the responsibility of the agent to ensure proper storage and handling temperatures are maintained.