State food regulators are being urged to adopt regulations allowing farmers to enhance profitability by processing
value-added foods in their on-farm home kitchens. Generally, regulations do not require operators to implement specific food safety
procedures, attend training, or undergo an inspection. The goal of the Processing Food for Sale From Your On-Farm Residential Kitchen curricula/short course was to inform these processors of both business and food safety hazards of a food processing business, and safe processing and sanitation practices aimed at reducing food safety risks. Three two-session programs were provided in CT and RI. Participation exceeded our goal by 50%--60 farmers participated.
The post program evaluation asked, "As a result of this training I have learned" statements about all topics presented. On a three point Likert scale, the means for all respondents ranged from 2.90-2.96, indicating significant agreement that learning took place on all topics.
We determined that the most effective way to inform regulators, extension and other educators in our region of the curricula was to provide a webinar. The 75 minute webinar included project background and a curricula summary. We reached 37 participants. 14 requested copies of the materials: one state plans to pilot the materials.