Jam, jelly or preserve, and what to call it if it is none of them
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What the three names mean
Two of these are the same standard and one is different, which is the opposite of what the words suggest in ordinary speech. Getting this straight matters because the name on the front of the jar is a claim about what is inside it.
| Name | What it is made from | Where defined |
|---|---|---|
| Jelly | Fruit juice, so no fruit solids | 21 CFR 150.140 |
| Jam or preserve | Fruit, crushed or in pieces | 21 CFR 150.160 |
| Fruit butter | Fruit pulp, cooked down | 21 CFR 150 subpart B |
Jam and preserve are the same standard. The difference between them in practice is whether the fruit holds its shape, and that is a craft distinction rather than a legal one.
If you miss the standard
A product outside the standard is still sellable and still good. What changes is what you may call it, and there are accepted names for exactly this situation.
You have still made a product and you may still sell it. What you may not do is call it a jam. The replacement name has to inform rather than evade, which is why "fruit spread" works and an invented word does not. FDA has a compliance policy guide covering nonstandardized jellies for exactly this situation.
The one qualifier that is allowed
What usually causes the miss
One cause accounts for most of them and it is almost always introduced for a reason that seemed like an improvement at the time. Reducing the sugar is the usual one, and it moves the product out of the standard by moving the ratio rather than by anything to do with taste.
Three things, in this order: not enough fruit against the sweetener, not enough concentration in the finished product, or an ingredient outside the permitted list. Those are on the ratio, 65 percent and what else the standard lets you put in.