Packaged Foods Manufacturing Short-Course Feb 11, Raleigh

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems, NC Cooperative Extension and NC State University are excited to offer a short-course on Packaged Foods Manufacturing!

This fast-paced workshop is geared towards entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, farmers market vendors and those thinking about getting started in packaged foods but don't quite know where to begin. There are a myriad of rules and regulations to follow, including, completion of the Acidified Foods Processing and Packaging Better Process Control School. While this this short-course will not certify you to sell acidified foods, it will give you a better understanding of the process and how you can get started!

Packaged Foods Manufacturing Short-Course
Date: Monday, February 11
Time: 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.
Registration Fee: $20
Location: TBA, Raleigh, NC

Organizers: CEFS, Wake County Cooperative Extension, and NC State University

Featured Speakers: Dr. Fletcher Arritt, Food Safety and Processing Extension Specialist, NCSU,  Dr. Benjamin Chapman, Assistant Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist, and Allison Smathers, NCSU, Entrepreneurial Food Program Assistant
Thinking about selling fermented, acidified (pickled), or other packaged foods at restaurants, farmers' markets or retail vendors? There are a myriad of stringent guidelines that must be followed in order to do so, including keeping certain records or perhaps acquiring a label, getting a process authority letter and taking the multiday Acidified Foods GMP School for Pickle Manufacturers course or others offered by NCSU. 
This workshop is designed to give participants a VERY general idea of what is expected by regulators to manufacture and sell packaged food products and about the Pickling School, briefly covering such topics as: basic food safety, supervisory skills, pH levels in your products, sample submission process, labeling, kitchen certification, record keeping and more. The purpose of this course is to provide you with a VERY BRIEF outline of the processes you will need to go through in order to sell your products.
THIS COURSE WILL NOT CERTIFY YOU TO SELL ACIDIFIED FOODS OR ANY OTHERS TO THE PUBLIC.

For more information or to register, please visit the CEFS website.
For more information contact Lisa Forehand at 919-513-0954 or lisa_forehand@ncsu.edu

Deputy Secretary of the USDA, Kathleen Merrigan, Visits NC!

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) is pleased to announce that Kathleen A. Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has accepted our invitation to speak at NCA&TSU and NCSU on Wednesday, February 9.

Dr. Merrigan – named by Time magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People of the World” in 2010 – oversees the day-to-day operation of USDA's many programs and spearheads the $149 billion USDA budget process. She has managed the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative highlighting the connection between farmers and consumers and supports local and regional food systems that increase economic opportunity in rural America. She also helped to spearhead the Organic Food Production Act. Learn more at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=bios_merrigan.xml

Dr. Merrigan will discuss efforts to support farmers and build local food economies and pinpoint professional opportunities available to graduates and researchers at the USDA. Both lectures are free and open to the public. Student participation is strongly encouraged.

Dr. Merrigan’s visit is an important component of CEFS’ ongoing Farm to Fork initiative to build N.C.’s local food economy.

Schedule for Wednesday, February 9:

10:00 a.m. in Room 100, B.C. Webb Auditorium, NCA&TSU

The auditorium is located at the corner of Benbow and East Market Street. Parking is available on the street and in the NCA&TSU parking deck behind the library on Laurel Street. View a map of the NCA&TSU campus here: www.ncat.edu/campus/.

2:30 p.m. in Room 124, Dabney Hall, NCSU
Dabney Hall is located on the North Campus at 2620 Yarbrough Drive. Parking is available on Hillsborough Street and in the Dan Allen parking deck. Click here to view a map of the North campus: http://www.ncsu.edu/campus_map/north.htm.