CJP MAY CLUMPHARDEN DURING TRANSIT IN THE SUMMER MONTHS IT IS NOT SPOILED AND HAS NOT LOST EFFECTIVENESS. SIMPLY BREAK UP ANDOR USE AS WEIGHT MEASURE INSTEAD OF VOLUME IF THIS OCCURS TO YOUR CJP ORDER. Celery Juice Powder (CJP) contains naturally occuring nitrites and nitrates (which breakdown to nitrites with the help of bacteria native in meat itself). CJP is now commonly being used for giving sausages and meats a cured appearance and taste without the use of synthetic sodium nitritenitrate. There is no standardized USDA recommended curing time for specific amounts of CJP for consistent curing action so products using vegetable based nitritesnitrates (such as CJP) must be cooked prior to consumption. Each packet (Net Wt. 1.25 oz.) can be used for 25 lbs. of ground meat. 1.25 oz. of Celery Juice Powder approximately 8 tsp. For 10 lb. recipes use 3 12 tsp Celery Juice Powder. The USDA currently does not recognize naturally occurring nitrates as effective curing agents in meats so if using Celery Juice Powder for products being sold to the public the end-products must be labeled UNCURED. The use of natural products such as Celery Juice Powder which contain nitrates are NOT recommended for making bacon.