Must all funeral homes provide an alternative container?

• A. Yes, in all cases.
• B. Yes, but only if they arrange direct cremations.
• C. No, never.
• D. Only upon customer request.

Answer: (B)

An alternative container is the basic outer container used to hold the body for cremation, not a traditional casket. The law requires funeral homes to provide or arrange such a container whenever they are involved in cremation, especially when they are arranging direct cremation for a family (where there is no viewing). This means they must have an appropriate container available or arrange one if they are handling the cremation. If the funeral home isn’t arranging cremation, there’s no blanket requirement to supply an alternative container. The obligation is tied to cremation arrangements, not to every situation or to requests from families, which is why the correct answer is that the container must be provided when direct cremation is arranged.