Health approvals

pH or water-activity test from an accredited lab

Proves a jam, pickle, salsa or other conditional food is lower-risk — usually pH 4.6 or below, or water activity 0.85 or below; an uncooked fresh-tomato salsa needs pH 4.2 or below. Your Market managerThe person in charge of a farmers’ market. They apply to Island Health for the market, keep the list of vendors and their foods, and check each vendor follows the provincial guideline. Without one, home-made food can’t be sold there.All terms in the glossary or Island Health can ask you to prove it; when Island Health requires a test, use a commercial lab. Your own meter is fine while you develop a recipe and for routine quality checks. Re-test when the recipe changes.

Who issues it
A commercial food-testing laboratory

Do you need it?

You need it if

  • You sell a jam, pickle, salsa or other food whose safety rests on acidity or dryness, and your market manager or Island Health asks you to prove it.
Where this comes from

Sources

How to get it

  1. 1

    Test it yourself while you develop the recipe

    Your own meter is fine for recipe development and routine checks.

  2. 2

    Send it to a commercial lab when asked

    BCCDC’s guideline lists labs; on the Island it names MB Laboratories (Sidney), BV Labs and Foodmetrics (Courtenay). The list dates from 2020, so call first.

  3. 3

    Keep the result

    It is up to you to show a food is lower-risk when asked.

Where this comes from

Sources

Once you have it

  • Re-test whenever the recipe changes; BCCDC encourages testing a variety of products every year.
Where this comes from

Sources

What comes next

The “not inspected” sign at your market tableMarket guidelineFederal food labelsCFIA and Health Canada rules

Which businesses need it

Home-based food makersFor jams, pickles, salsa and other foods with a pH conditionPackaged food makersFor acidified or shelf-stable productsFarmers’ market vendorsFor foods with a pH condition

The rules behind this page

Last checked 5 November 2026. We check this guide regularly against Island Health, provincial and municipal sources, but regulations and laws change often and we can’t guarantee it is complete or current. Confirm with Island Health and your municipality before you apply, build or sell.

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