Prepared and deli
The container definition is the trigger
Updated
A hermetically sealed container is one designed to be secure against the entry of microorganisms. Put a food above pH 4.6 and water activity 0.85 into one and sell it shelf stable, and you are inside the low-acid canned food regime: a scheduled process from a competent processing authority, establishment registration within ten days, and retort equipment.
Getting started
Read this before buying a jar.
The regime
What the definitions trigger, and why.
The routes
Refrigerated, acidified, or properly processed.
What goes wrong
Named failures, with the cause for each.
Containers
18 glass jars, and the pasteurization liners.
Written from 21 CFR 113.3 and 108.35. Every page names its source.