A Cannery is a facility equipped for preparing and heat processing food into shelf-stable containers. The equipment of the Prince Edward Cannery is uniquely designed to be an efficient and inexpensive means of preserving large amounts of food in metal cans and glass jars.

Our Cannery is also a Commercial Kitchen.  It is a FDA- registered Food Canning Establishment which allows Virginia Food Works’ clients to process value-added food products for resale. Clients can also freeze or refrigerate products although “flash freezing” is not available. Virginia Food Works is inspected by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).

The cannery’s equipment is very versatile and can be used for a variety of products.  In addition to shelf-stable foods packaged in glass jars, retail products include refrigerated spreads, frozen soups, and packaged spice or tea blends.

Home Users may preserve a variety of foods ONLY in metal cans for personal consumption. These items CAN NOT BE SOLD. Fruits, vegetables, and meats are all options for the home user to process into cans. Home users may also process non-USDA certified meats at the Cannery.

Farmers, restaurants, and food entrepreneurs are considered “Food Businesses” if they plan to sell the finished product made at the cannery.  Food products created by Virginia Food Works may be sold directly to a consumer (i.e. at a farmer’s market or online) or to third parties such as restaurants, grocers, co-ops, and institutions. Unlike home users, Food businesses clients cannot process foods into metal cans or include meat products. Shelf-stable products must be acidified or high acid foods such as fruits, jams, salsas, sauces, etc. See the Cannery’s Food Businesses page for more information.