# AI tells a user that home-canned tomatoes (acidic) are safe to process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, ignoring the risk of Clostridium botulinum in low-acid ingredients like onions or garlic added to the recipe

- **ID:** `food-safety/improper-canning-of-acidic-foods`
- **Domain:** food-safety
- **Category:** life_threatening
- **Error Code:** `FS-BOTULISM-008`
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 87%

## Root Cause

Adding low-acid ingredients (onions, garlic, peppers, herbs) to tomatoes raises the pH above 4.6, allowing Clostridium botulinum spores to survive boiling water bath processing; pressure canning is required for mixed pH foods.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| USDA-2024-CanningGuide | active | — | — |
| NCHFP-2023-Tomato | active | — | — |
| FDA-2024-BotulismHomeCanning | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Use a pressure canner at 10-15 PSI (depending on altitude) for the full time specified for the recipe (e.g., 40 minutes for pints of tomato sauce with vegetables).** (95% success)
   ```
   Use a pressure canner at 10-15 PSI (depending on altitude) for the full time specified for the recipe (e.g., 40 minutes for pints of tomato sauce with vegetables).
   ```
2. **Follow tested recipes from USDA or National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) for mixed pH foods.** (98% success)
   ```
   Follow tested recipes from USDA or National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) for mixed pH foods.
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — Adding lemon juice (1 tbsp per quart) does not sufficiently lower pH if large amounts of low-acid ingredients are present. (70% fail)
- **** — Boiling water bath for 10 minutes is only safe for plain tomatoes with no added low-acid ingredients; mixed recipes require pressure canning. (90% fail)
- **** — Testing pH with litmus paper after adding ingredients is unreliable; pH can vary with ripeness and variety. (80% fail)