public-service · unpasteurized juice warning label rule
Which Federal Rule Requires the Unpasteurized Juice Warning Label
21 CFR 101.17(g) is the federal record that mandates a verbatim warning statement on certain unpasteurized juice and juice-containing beverages.
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What matters now
- 21 CFR 101.17(g) mandates a verbatim warning label on certain unpasteurized juice products.
- The regulation says the label 'shall bear the following warning statement,' not wording a manufacturer chooses.
- The required text warns the product may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
The federal regulation at 21 CFR 101.17(g) requires that juice, or a beverage containing juice, that has not been processed to prevent, reduce, or eliminate pathogens “shall bear the following warning statement” (eCFR, Title 21 § 101.17) — printed in the regulation’s own exact wording, not language a manufacturer chooses on its own.
This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.
Key points
- The requirement lives in 21 CFR 101.17(g), a federal food-labeling regulation.
- The regulation itself states the label “shall bear the following warning statement” — the wording is mandated, not left to the manufacturer’s discretion (eCFR, Title 21 § 101.17).
- The mandated text is printed verbatim in the regulation: “WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.” (eCFR, Title 21 § 101.17)
Mandatory-label regulation
21 CFR 101.17(g) does not merely suggest a warning — it requires one. The regulation’s own text says a covered product “shall bear the following warning statement” (eCFR, Title 21 § 101.17), which is the language of a binding federal requirement rather than a recommendation or industry best practice. This means the specific wording that follows in the regulation is not something a bottler or packager drafted independently — it is the text the record itself dictates.
The exact wording the regulation requires
The regulation prints the required text in full: “WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.” (eCFR, Title 21 § 101.17) That sentence is the verbatim statement the rule requires — no more, no less, and not a paraphrase.
Where this requirement applies
By its own terms, this warning-statement requirement in 21 CFR 101.17(g) applies to juice, or a beverage containing juice, that has not been processed in a way that prevents, reduces, or eliminates pathogens. The record ties the mandatory language to that specific processing status, rather than to juice products generally.
What this article does not answer
This article reports only the warning text required by 21 CFR 101.17(g) and the condition stated in that paragraph. It does not say whether any particular juice product is safe for any individual reader to drink, and it does not address other labeling provisions or state rules. Nothing here is dietary or health advice.