Keeping cold hot: 3 things every cold brewer should know about food safety

By William “Bill” Murray, President & CEO, National Coffee Association USA


While not a new format by any means, cold brew has shot up in popularity in recent years and is expected to keep growing. About 16% of coffee drinkers reported having had cold brew in the past week, according to the NCA National Coffee Drinking Trends report – up from only 8% in 2016.  What hasn’t kept pace, however, are clear food safety best practices, guidance, and regulations to help keep this massively popular product – and the customers who demand it – safe. It is crucial to stress that cold brew coffee, like traditionally prepared coffee, is generally safe – but changing times and evolving brew methods call for food safety vigilance – despite coffee’s long, safe track record.

That’s why, with help from our team of scientists on the NCA Science Leadership Council (and support from our cold brew partner BUNN), NCA has created the all-new Cold Brew Safety Guide for Retailers along with several other new resources to help coffee retailers safely brew, store, and serve cold brew – one of the hottest drinks in coffee today.

Here are three key things every cold brew retailer should know to help keep their cold brew coffee food-safe:

1. The “danger zone” for cold brew where bacteria can grow is 41-140˚F. 

Brew, store, and serve your cold brew at a temperature of 40˚ F or below to minimize the risk of pathogens like botulism that could cause foodborne illness. Above 140˚F, most toxin-producing bacteria are killed. However, while cold brew doesn’t technically have to be served cold, it may lose some of the smooth taste and flavor your customers have come to expect from cold brew if heated above this temperature. 

2. Retail dispensed cold brew (i.e., made on-premises in a coffee shop) and RTD cold brew are not created equal – and each requires special safety considerations.

Text

Description automatically generated

RTD packaged cold brew is cold brew that is manufactured and bottled under aseptic conditions in a manufacturing facility following FDA’s low-acid food regulations (21 CFR Part 113), whereas dispensed cold brew is often prepared and served on-site at a retail location and is regulated by a local health inspector following FDA’s Food Code

Dispensed cold brew is generally prepared at 40-70˚F overnight at a retail location using roasted coffee and filtered water and can be infused with nitrogen to make nitro cold brew. The cold brew can be stored in airtight or covered (non-airtight) containers.

Health inspectors examining a retail dispensed cold brew operation may require a HACCP Plan – see more on HACCP Plans below. 

NCA’s 2018 Cold Brew Toolkit for Industry dives into RTD cold brew safety considerations, while dispensed retail cold brew (and its potential food safety risks) are covered extensively in the just-released NCA Cold Brew Safety Guide for Retailers (2022). Both are available here

 3. You might need a HACCP Plan.

Every retail cold brew operation should determine whether a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan is necessary. This seven-step framework is critical in reducing hazards in food to acceptable levels, and consists of:

  • Hazard analysis.
  • Critical Control Point (CCP) identification.
  • Establishing critical limits.
  • Establishing monitoring procedures.
  • Setting corrective actions.
  • Setting verification procedures.
  • Establishing record-keeping and documentation.

A HACCP Plan is generally not required in retail locations unless the cold brew is brewed, held, and served above 41˚F, or if it is held in a container with an airtight lid for over 48 hours.  NCA offers a model HACCP Plan that our Members can refer to when developing food safety protocols for their own retail cold brew business.  

You can learn more about NCA’s Cold Brew safety resources in our NCA Cold Brew Toolkit, which includes our new Cold Brew Safety Guide for Retailers, our 2018 Toolkit for Industry, a model Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan, answers to frequently asked questions about cold brew and a compliance checklist to ensure you’re ready when the health inspector comes knocking. 

NCA: We serve coffee (and want the cold brew coffee YOU serve to continue its long record of food safety.)

NCA Member Spotlight: Driftaway Coffee

Company: Driftaway Coffee
Location: Brooklyn, NY
NCA Member Since: 2019
Website: driftaway.coffee
Facebook: facebook.com/driftawaycoffee
Twitter: twitter.com/driftawaycoffee
Instagram: instagram.com/driftawaycoffee

What does Driftaway Coffee do?

We are a direct-to-consumer coffee roaster, offering personalized subscriptions in an environmentally and socially conscious manner.

What drives your passion for this industry?

We started this company out of an urge to create. Create something we were passionate about. Something we could be proud of. And for our need for and interest in great coffee.

Why did you become a member of the National Coffee Association (NCA)?

I am interested in networking with other members and learning from everyone.

Continue reading

NCA Submits Comments to 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

Related: NCA Update from the 2020 US Dietary Guidelines Scientific Review

The following is an excerpt from the latest NCA Member Alert

Do you remember the Food Guide Pyramid or MyPlate?

Every 5 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issues a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines.  These are dietary recommendations for Americans to practice healthy eating habits. 

Shaped by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), these guidelines have an enormous impact on US perceptions and behaviors regarding nutrition and health, which is why it’s critical to communicate the science on coffee and health.

Continue reading

NCA Update: 2020 US Dietary Guidelines Scientific Review

Setting the stage for the next evolution in dietary guidance to Americans for 2020-2025

Editor’s note: The connection between lifestyle and health is increasingly being recognized by the medical and scientific communities. We know that diet, exercise habits, and smoking and alcohol consumption impact our health. And as the science continues to advance, it seems there are new discoveries weekly.

To help Americans make healthy food and beverage choices, the U.S. Government issues Dietary Guidelines, which in the past have been communicated by USDA guides such as the Food Guide Pyramid and MyPlate.

When the USDA last undertook this exercise, the NCA formally recommended that the healthy aspects of coffee be recognized – and they were.  The 2015-2020 Guidelines acknowledge that coffee can be part of a healthy diet.

And the process to update these guidelines is now well underway.


By Dr. Mark Corey, Director of Scientific & Government Affairs, National Coffee Association

Over the past two days, I attended the meeting of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) in Washington, DC, focused on creating the protocol and guidelines shaping US nutrition and guidance to Americans for the next 5 years.

Panels of experts are examining every aspect of the American diet, inside and out, and have outlined their process for evaluating the science-based evidence. Subcommittees are focused on a range of topics such as dietary patterns and looking across different age groups from birth to older adults.

Continue reading

A Partnership to Protect the Future of Coffee

The NCA is working with the Sustainable Coffee Challenge to help make coffee the world’s first agricultural product

By William (Bill) Murray, President & CEO, National Coffee Association


Here at the National Coffee Association (NCA), we like to say that “we serve coffee.”

With the rising threat of climate change, serving coffee today also means serving the planet. We know coffee’s future depends on coffee being the world’s first fully sustainable crop.

To help make this vision a reality, I am immensely proud that the NCA has joined the Sustainable Coffee Challenge.

(Read the official news release.)

Continue reading

Consumer Insights: Coffee Claims [Video]

From sourcing to roasting, coffee companies can have a lot to say about their product. These messages can majorly influence consumer perception and behavior – but not necessarily in the ways you’d expect.

A new NCA Consumer Insights report (based on NCDT data) takes a closer look at coffee claims – which include general statements, perceptions, or things that people find motivating about coffee.

For example, said Cheryl Hung, VP of Research at Dig Insights, during a recent webinar: “What kind of equity does coffee have with consumers? Are there positive and negative associations with coffee among different demographics? Who perceives coffee in a negative light? And what can we say to persuade them from a marketing perspective, or via point of sale?”

Get more highlights in the video below – and to learn more, check out the webinar (on-demand playback free for members) or NCA market research:

Continue reading

Infographic: What’s Brewing in 2019

Highlights from NCA market research on coffee consumption trends in the US

NCA National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) Consumer Insights at a Glance

via Dig Insights

For yet another brew-tiful year, Dig Insights has partnered with the NCA to create five new consumer insight reports, to supplement the annual NCDT market tracking research:

  • Single-Cup Brewing
  • Coffee and Gen Z
  • In and Out of Home Coffee Consumption
  • Understanding Attitudes Towards Coffee
  • Cold Brew and Ready-to-Drink

Explore some highlighted insights from each of the mini reports below – and NCA members can check out the on-demand webinar, Single Cup & Consumer Insight Reports, featuring Cheryl Hung, Dig Insights VP.

Continue reading

NCA Member Spotlight: JNP Coffee

Photo: JNP Coffee

COMPANY: JNP Coffee
LOCATION: USA & Burundi
NCA MEMBER SINCE: 2018
TWITTER: @jnpcoffee
FACEBOOK: /JNPCOFFEELLC
INSTAGRAM: @jnpcoffee

Read more NCA member spotlights, or check out our complete list of members

What does JNP Coffee do?

We trade the very best East African specialty coffee from Burundi, while empowering women farmers with technical knowledge and unparalleled bonus/premium payments.

Continue reading

Pot Head: The Coffee Cannabis Connection

Coffee is a complex substance and — as a new study finds — its metabolic interactions are equally complex.

Coffee influences the same regions of the brain as cannabis, according to recent research.

By Tim Newman| Fact checked by Jasmin Collier

Read the full article at Medical News Today

Visit the NCA Guide to Cannabis & CBD for Coffee Companies


Although studies looking at coffee’s health benefits — or lack thereof — appear to be published on an almost daily basis, its true impact on health is still poorly understood.

Some studies have found health benefits, some have concluded that it might reduce mortality risk, and others drew no solid conclusions.

This confusion is due to several factors, and one is the difficulty in separating cause and effect in large, population-based studies. For example, someone who drinks a lot of coffee might also sleep less, smoke more tobacco, drink less water, or work unsociable hours. These factors muddy the statistical waters.

Also, coffee is an incredibly complex beast; it contains more than 1,000 aroma compounds, levels of which vary depending on the type of coffee bean and how it is brewed.

Researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, took a detailed look at the impact of coffee consumption on our internal chemistry. Their findings were published this week in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

The scientists found that with increased coffee consumption, blood metabolites involved in the endocannabinoid system dropped off. This is the system that gives cannabis its recreational and medical effects.

Continue reading

How Can the NCA Serve Your Coffee Business?

By Theresa (Terri) Bartlett, NCA Director of Membership

We’re introducing an easier way to pay for small businesses, coffee shops, and independent roasters — and brewing some big-picture benefits.


If you are a small coffee shop operator (ten units or less) or a micro-roastery (5,000 bags a year or fewer), then you are probably already burning the candle at both ends. 

You’re primarily focused on the “basics” – day-to-day challenges like keeping the doors open and the lights burning – even as you are looking down the road at growth opportunities.

The bottom line? Above all, resources are tight.

This is why we’re rolling out an easier way to access National Coffee Association resources – to better serve you. (We’re also offering a special prorated offer on 2019 dues, so you can pick the plan that’s right for you.)

Because while you’re minding the store, we’re minding the big picture:

Continue reading