Maine Revised Statutes Title 7. Agriculture and Animals § 543-A. Cider

1. Restriction on product labeled as cider. A person may not sell, advertise, offer or expose for sale any product labeled as “cider” if that product does not require refrigeration from pressing through purchase or has been heated.

2. Accepted processing methods. All cider sold, advertised, offered or exposed for sale must be treated by ultraviolet light or pressed under a state-approved hazard and critical control plan unless the cider bears a warning label in accordance with subsection 3. A state-approved hazard and critical control plan must prohibit the pressing of apples that have dropped from the trees for use in cider.

3. Warning label. A person selling, advertising, offering or exposing for sale cider that has not been processed in accordance with subsection 2 must affix a label to that product stating: “WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized. It may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems.”

4. Exemption. Hard cider and nonalcoholic carbonated cider labeled as “sparkling cider” are exempt from this section. For purposes of this subsection, “hard cider” means liquor produced by fermentation of the juice of apples or pears, including, but not limited to, flavored, sparkling or carbonated cider, that contains not less than 1/2 of 1% alcohol by volume and “liquor” has the same meaning as in Title 28-A, section 2, subsection 16.