Corrections Policy

Food-safety errors on this site are treated as urgent. If a processing time, headspace value, acid addition, or safety claim is wrong, we want to know — and we will fix it, note it visibly on the affected page, and update our records.

What we correct

We correct any verifiable factual error, including:

• Processing times and headspace values — the most safety-critical content on this site. If a time or headspace we published does not match the current Bernardin or Health Canada guidance, that is an urgent correction.
• Acidity and pH claims — e.g. stating a food is safe to water-bath can when it is not, or overstating or understating the role of bottled lemon juice or citric acid.
• Altitude band figures — city elevations cited from Statistics Canada or Bernardin's Canadian metric bands.
• Jar sizes and equipment specifications — Bernardin sizes (125 mL, 250 mL, 500 mL, 1 L) and any other verifiable product detail.
• Attribution and sourcing errors — a claim we credited to a source that doesn't say what we said it says.

We also correct significant errors of fact that, while not food-safety critical, could mislead a reader — wrong agricultural statistics, wrong province for a regulation, etc.

What we don't alter

• Style, tone, or phrasing preferences (unless they caused a factual misreading).
• Publication dates — we don't backdate posts or remove original publish timestamps.
• Honest opinions and editorial judgements (e.g. "this canner is the better value for most Canadians") — these may be updated as new products ship, but the original recommendation is not silently removed.

How we label corrections

For food-safety corrections (processing times, headspace, acid addition, pH): we add a visible note at the top of the affected article, stating what changed, what it changed from, and the date of the correction. The corrected content is sourced to the Bernardin edition or Health Canada document that supports it.

For non-safety factual errors: we update the content and add a brief correction note at the bottom of the article, or — if the error was minor (a typo in a non-critical number, a wrong city name) — a dated editor's note inline.

How to report an error

Email [email protected] with the subject line Correction: [page title]. Include:

• The URL of the affected page.
• The specific claim you believe is wrong.
• The source you're comparing against (Bernardin edition, Health Canada document URL, or equivalent Canadian authority).

We review every correction report. If the error is confirmed, we aim to publish a fix within 48 hours for food-safety issues and within two weeks for other factual errors.

We don't publish a corrections log separately — corrections are noted on the affected pages. If you reported an error and would like confirmation that it was addressed, reply to your original email.

Our sourcing standard

The reason this policy can be specific is that our sourcing standard is specific. Every processing time and headspace value on this site must trace to Bernardin (the Complete Book of Home Preserving or bernardin.ca) or to Health Canada. We do not paraphrase US sources (USDA, NCHFP) as primary authority — our audience is Canadian, altitude tables are Canadian, and jar sizes are metric. If you believe a number we've published doesn't match the current Bernardin or Health Canada guidance, that is exactly the kind of correction we want to hear about.

See the About page for the full authority-sources list.