Food processing wastewater land application has been traditionally controlled by hydraulic loading rates, BOD loading rates or nitrogen loading rates. Recently the regulatory agencies in California have begun to restrict the salt loading. The traditional tests, total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC), inaccurately characterize the pollutants of concern because of significant concentrations of organic dissolved solids and nutrients in food processing wastewater. By characterizing the wastewater with the additional measurement of fixed dissolved solids (FDS), land application system can be further optimized.