Source: COMMONWEALTH KITCHEN, INC. submitted to NRP
DEVELOPING A FOOD SAFETY CULTURE OF PRACTICE: ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF SHARED-KITCHENS AND SMALL-SCALE MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1017253
Grant No.
2018-70020-28853
Cumulative Award Amt.
$70,000.00
Proposal No.
2018-05201
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2018
Project End Date
Jan 31, 2022
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[A4182]- Regional FSMA Center
Recipient Organization
COMMONWEALTH KITCHEN, INC.
196 QUINCY ST
DORCHESTER,MA 02121
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
CWK aims to address the particular food safety education and training challenges inherent in operating a shared commercial kitchen and separate small-batch manufacturing operation in the same facility. Specifically, CWK will develop and implement an engaging, interactive food safety education program for its manufacturing operation to comply with FSMA guidelines and other applicable regulations to ensure safe, quality operation of CWK's small-batch food manufacturing operation. The materials and curriculum will developed such that it is readily adaptable to meet the educational and operational needs of the broad mix of food trucks, caterers, push cart vendors, meal kit companies, bakers, and packaged goods companies operating in CWK's shared kitchens. CWK will create an integrated set of training materials and practices, combining hands-on and classroom-style work, along with a simple assessment tool and continuing education to address the technical, regulatory, and social aspects needed to build a robust food safety culture within its facility. Upon completion, the goal is to have a program that can serve as a foundational roadmap for other small-batch processors and shared kitchen operations nationwide.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
71250103020100%
Knowledge Area
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
CWK aims to develop and implement a multi-faceted food safety training program as the foundation for building a robust food safety culture that permeates throughout CWK's operations, including its leadership, manufacturing and facilities staff, and member businesses and their employees. To address this goal, five main aims have been identified.Aim 1: Determine the Food Safety Needs of CWK's Small-Batch Manufacturing Operation and Shared Kitchens. To achieve this aim, CWK will develop and administer a baseline assessment to establish the current state of understanding and consistency of adherence to basic Serv-Safe and good food manufacturing practices and applicable FSMA and other relevant regulations, as well as risk-based preventive controls such as cGMPs, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). This assessment will be both for CWK's own manufacturing operations and for the operations of the wholesale and retail companies sharing CWK's incubator kitchens. This baseline assessment will include topics like proper hand washing and clothing, cleaning and sanitizing procedures, time and temperature logs, labeling and storage systems, and other record keeping and documentation. By assessing the level of proficiency among food handlers prior to developing the curriculum, the training content can be customized to focus on any content areas of high need. Aim 2: Creating A Customized Training Program with Modules Focused on CWK's Manufacturing Operations, and a Subset for Shared Kitchen Member Companies. CWK will adapt FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food and ServSafe Food Handler and Allergen Awareness training materials to achieve this aim. CWK will make the materials specific to its manufacturing and food business operations in a way that is accessible to the diversity of cultures, languages, and educational backgrounds of the members of its community. A series of training modules will be created to encompass each stage of the food handling process including purchasing, receiving, storage, preparation, and servicing or packaging stages. These training modules will be delivered through various methods including: conversational, visual, and kinesthetic learning. Conversational portions of the training will involve the use of a "Food Map" to reflect the operations pertinent to CWK organizations and members. Visual portions of the training will be developed specific to CWK operations. Kinesthetic portions of the training will involve hands-on demonstration of concepts introduced through the conversational and visual methods to reinforce clear understanding and application. The intent is to develop a comprehensive training for CWK manufacturing staff that can adjusted and broken down into workshops and adapted for different types of processes represented by the range of CWK member companies, including food trucks, caterers, bakers, meal kit companies, and packaged goods companies.All content will be developed by CWK staff with review/support from expert consultants to ensure regulatory compliance. Once developed, member business owners will be asked to provide feedback so that the final product can address specific needs of their individual operations. Each member company will be required to send at least one PIC to participate in the training annually to ensure that all members are adhering to the same standards, and building strong knowledge and practices across their staff. By addressing the challenges of shared kitchen spaces, the final training program will be useful and readily adaptable for other shared kitchens.Aim 3: Deliver Training to CWK Employees and Member Businesses, To achieve this aim, CWK will roll out training modules in separate stages, focusing initially on its own staff, and then expanding to include member businesses. A multi-stage approach will allow CWK to ensure that the curriculum is clear, understandable, and easily implemented. The staged approach also allows for rapid feedback to ensure that the content and delivery method is accessible. By rolling out the training program within its manufacturing operations first, it will be possible to leverage input from a highly-experienced workforce with low turnover before engaging member businesses of CWK's shared-space kitchen. The first stage will make use of the "Food Map" created through Aim 2 to carry out conversation-based training that focuses on the relevance of food safety practices at every step of the manufacturing process. The second stage will involve interactive modules along with hands-on demonstration of the skills gained through the training. Results from this stage will be documented and used to improve the training program before engaging member business in the shared-used kitchen facilities. Aim 4: Assess Impact of Training on CWK Employees and Member Businesses. Once the training content has been developed, a set of pre- and post- training assessments will be created to gauge if improvement was made towards a higher degree of application of food safety practices and behaviors, based on the content addressed through the training program. The first of these assessments will focus on specific content areas such as demonstration of correct hand washing procedures, food temperature measurement, labeling of stored food items, and record keeping and documentation. A second assessment will be developed to gauge the state of food safety culture before and after the training program is implemented. This cultural assessment tool will identify food safety maturity through five progressive stages of food safety culture: doubtful, reactive, aware, proactive, and internalized. The data obtained will be used to determine the course of continuous improvement strategies that can lead towards a robust food safety culture at all levels of the facility. Aim 5: Refine Training for Distribution to Other Shared Kitchen and Small-Batch Manufacturing Facilities. Once the curriculum is developed and presented, CWK will conduct evaluations to gain feedback and make adjustments as needed. This adjusted curriculum will then be formalized into a simple handbook that can be made available to other organizations operating similar facilities to adapt to their specific operations. The final documents will be included in the final report to NIFA, to allow for additional distribution through their network.
Project Methods
CWK's methods and evaluation pland for each project goal is outlined below.Aim 1: Determine the Food Safety Needs of CWK's Small-Batch Manufacturing Operation and Shared Kitchens. Activity 1.1: Identify actionable components of the FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food Training Curriculum, ServSafe Food Handler and Allergen Awareness Training Curriculums applicable to food service and manufacturing operations such as cGMPs, hazard and contaminant identification and preventive controls adherence and documentation. Activity 1.2: Develop baseline assessment tool that measures the degree to which food safety practices are utilized by food handling staff. Activity 1.3: Implement the assessment tool as part of the process of developing and implementing the food safety training program. EvaluationAim 2: Create a Customized Training Program with Modules Focused on CWK's Manufacturing Operations, and a Subset for Shared Kitchen Member Companies. Activity 2.1: Develop a "Food Map" that represents the key components of the food handling processes including ingredient sourcing and delivery, production, packaging, and storage. Discussion points to guide the use and conversations around this map will also be completed at this step.Activity 2.2: Identify content within the FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food and ServSafe Food Handler and Allergen Awareness training materials pertinent to CWK manufacturing and food business operations such as such as personal hygiene, handling practices or packaging procedures for food ingredients. Activity 2.3: Create training modules that present content identified during activity 2.2 in the context of CWK operations. The content will include written and visual materials, be easy-to-follow and can be adjusted for speed and language (i.e. English, Spanish). Activity 2.4: Create hands-on training modules where appropriate to demonstrate food safety concepts introduced through conversational and visual methods. This module will use FSPCA and ServSafe training content to identify critical food safety practices such as personal hygiene, cleaning and sanitizing, controlling time and temperature, and HACCP plan understanding and use. Aim 3: Deliver Training to CWK Employees and Member BusinessesActivity 3.1: Implementation of training portion based on the "Food Map" developed through Activity 2.1. This activity will be completed by CWK staff. This discussion map will facilitate a dialogue that engages participants in sharing their experiences and relate the course information to their lives. The resulting discussion is expected to unveil misconceptions and myths related to food safety, allowing the facilitator to make corrections and take advantage of teaching points along the process. In the case that content gaps are identified, this information will be documented and shared, and integrated into future training. Activity 3.2: Training modules will be completed by each staff member involved in CWK's food manufacturing operations. This stage will be completed independently or in groups. By providing participants with an option to progress through the training at their own pace, a more enhanced learning environment will be provided. Once the training has been implemented with CWK staff, sImilar training will be offered to all member companies.Activity 3.3: Hands-on demonstration of the skills gained through previous stages of the training will be completed will all food-handling personnel operating within the manufacturing operations at CWK. Food safety qualified staff will conduct the hands-on demonstration. Results from this stage will be documented for each employee. Once the training has been implemented with CWK staff, sImilar training will be offered to all member companies.Aim 4: Assess Impact of Training on CWK Employees and Member BusinessesActivity 4.1: Develop assessment tools that gauge the degree to which curriculum content is of knowledge to and in practice among food handling staff as well as the current state of food safety culture. Training content will be used to develop the content assessment tool. Activity 4.2: The assessments developed during Activity 4.1 will be administered to inform development of the final scope and curriculum and prior to executing the training program. Results will be tracked for each staff member. A certain individual's assessment will not be used as a measure of their job performance but will be used to address specific areas in which a certain individual needs improvement with regards to food safety. Activity 4.3: After the training program has been rolled-out and executed, training effectiveness will be verified approximately 90-days after completion to gauge effectiveness of the training and whether the learning objectives were understood and incorporated in daily operations and whether additional training or tools are required. Results will be tracked on an individual basis for the purpose of assessing the impact of the training program and to address specific areas in which a certain individual needs improvement with regards to food safetyAim 5: Refine Training for Distribution to Other Shared Kitchen and Small-Batch Manufacturing Facilities. Activity 5.1: Once it is established that the training program sufficiently meets the educational and training goals, it will be integrated into the standard requirements for all member companies, and offered at least annually to all CWK staff and member companies with the goal of maintaining a strong food safety culture across all operations. Activity 5.2: A formal document which includes each key portion of the training will be created in order to formalize the curriculum and back-up materials. These materials will be made available by CWK to other incubator facilities in its network, and included in the final report for NIFA so that it can be easily distributed through NIFA's networks as well.

Progress 09/01/18 to 01/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience: CWK's food safety training has been developed anddelivered to member businesses and their employees, as well as CWK food production staff. CWK has adaptedthe curriculum to be shared andutilized by other regional food centers and shared kitchens. Changes/Problems:Project is complete successfully despite having to pivot the intial group training to small group seminars and individualized engagements. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? CWK provided trainings to the CWK-kitchen staff and the member businesses and their business staff. The formal comprehensive training and professional development has yielded formal and informal professional development for CWKleadership and staff, who now better understand the food safety needs of member businesses. As a result, CWK has instituted new policies, such as the development of cleaning guides for kitchen equipment. Member comapnies, both owners and their staff, have a more thorough knowledge about the food safety science and requirements, regulatory and beyond. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have adpated our training mateiral and curriculum for sharing with other local shared kitchen operators and non profit food processing facilities/prorams. Local partners can request a copy of the material via our website. We are working on the possibility ofhosting a copy of the material for easy access and sharingonthe website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? As we developed the content and methodology for our shared kitchen-focused food safety training, we incorporated learnings from supporting over 200 food entrepreneurs to launch and start scaled food production businesses. These entrepreneurs and staff have ranged widely in ethnic background and food experience. We analyzed the gaps in culturally relevant food safety training and set out to develop a food safety training program that incorporates hands-on practical learning with well-paced food safety training, incorporating both knowledge checks and interactive Q+A throughout. We reviewed the content from FSPCA and ServSafe training curriculum to determine which areas needed additional depth or practical application to help entrepreneurs and staff understand and run safe food operations. As more and more product based small companies need to comply with FSMA food safety guidelines as they scale, we made sure that this training introduced the concepts and terminology from FSMA and makes it easier for entrepreneurs to takethe next step in food safety requirements as they scale. At CommonWealth Kitchen, as at many shared kitchen spaces, the types of products and processes vary widely. To address this reality while helping entrepreneurs and staff understand the food safety considerations in their processes, we developed a generalized food process map that allows entrepreneurs and staff from various types of production to map their own specific processes. We have used a version of this "food flow map" in the past to help entrepreneurs map out their production operations, and have now incorporated the food map into this NIFA food safety training so entrepreneurs and staff can incorporate the relevant food safety considerations at each step in the process. We incorporated visual cues for each step to help learners of all different types understand the steps in the food flow. We created a 3-module virtual training program. The first module is an overview and grounding in the "why," the importance of food safety, and other big picture grounding like "person in charge" requirements and regulating agencies. The second module dives deeper into Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) -- bringing in the day-to-day practical elements of food safety in a shared kitchen manufacturing facility. The third module introduces contaminant categories, tracking food safety considerations throughout the stages of the food flow, and developing a food safety management system. This module helps prepare entrepreneurs and staff for more intensive manufacturing food safety requirements they will be required to comply with as they scale. Each module is applicable to a shared kitchen space like CommonWealth Kitchen. The photos and examples used are practical and specific to a shared kitchen space. The training content is developed in a way so it can be used individually by the trainee, or with a proctor talking through the content with additional detail. While creating these training materials and processes for new entrepreneurs and staff, we also continued to support current entrepreneurs and staff in complying and adjusting processes to maintain safe food operations throughout the COVID pandemic. In 2020, in the first year of the COVID pandemic, we shifted from group food safety training to more 1:1 support for current CommonWealth Kitchen member businesses as the entrepreneurs adjusted their practices to comply with new regulations and food safety considerations. We also created a hands-on training to follow the virtual intro training and make sure participants can practically understand the food safety material. In order to make sure that this hands-on training takes place with each new entrepreneur, we incorporated it into our new holistic business training program for new member companies at CommonWealth Kitchen called "Ready to Launch." As part of this new program, our kitchen team spends around a half day in the kitchen with new entrepreneurs and staff, talking through the food safety concepts as they relate to the entrepreneurs' specific production and conversationally checking their food safety understanding. Part of the process before the entrepreneurs even practice these concepts in the kitchen space with the "Ready to Launch" program is a 1:1 conversational training based on the entreprneuers' food flow. As CWK's in-house manufacturing mimics the wide-ranging types of processes of a shared kitchen, this training material is also relevant and used to train CWK's manufacturing staff. For this practical and multi-part food safety training, we are assessing understanding through in-person conversational check-ins. Before any training takes place, we discuss the food flow and assess the entrepreneur or staff's food safety understanding. Then, after the virtual and hands-on training, we assess the impact through the process of completing documentation for the application to the health department. We also assess understanding of concepts through the knowledge checks presented throughout the virtual training. Throughout March - August of 2021, we ran the food safety training with our own manufacturing staff and all of the new member companies through the pilot of the "Ready to Launch" program. After going through the process with new entrepreneurs and assessing the impact of the new food safety training in addition to getting feedback from staff and entrepreneurs, we made some revisions to the content and process to make sure we're introducing the new terminology and practical content at the right time in the onboarding process. We have completed the training materials development and made the various aspects of this training mandatory for new member companies joining the kitchen. Between August 2021 and January 2022, we used the training curriculum to onboard a new cohort of new/incoming food businesses using our shared kitchen space to prep for their catering and food truck businesses. In additionl we adapted the training materials to be shared with local partners and other shared kitchen space operators.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

    Outputs
    Target Audience:When complete, CWK's food safety training will be delivered to member businesses and their employees, as well as CWK food production staff. Long term, CWK hopes that the curriculum will be adapted and utilized by other regional food centers and shared kitchens. Changes/Problems:Due to the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, CWK had to adapt training from group seminar to a more individualized and modular approach. As a result, the progress of the project has been delayed. CWK expects to complete the remainder of Aim 5 prior to NCE 01/31/2022 What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?CWK provided trainings to the CWK-kitchen staff and the member businesses and their business staff. The formal comprehensive training and professional development has yielded formal and informal professional development for CWK leadership and staff, who now better understand the food safety needs of member businesses. As a result, CWK has instituted new policies, such as the development of cleaning guides for kitchen equipment. Member comapnies, both owners and their staff, have a more thorough knowledge about the food safety science and requirements, regulatory and beyond. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?CWK will disseminate the results of its food safety trainings in the coming months prior to the NCE ending on 01/31/2022. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?CWK will disseminate the results of the food safety trainings and also share the training curriculum to local partners.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? As we developed the content and methodology for our shared kitchen-focused food safety training, we incorporated learnings from supporting over 200 food entrepreneurs to launch and start scaled food production businesses. These entrepreneurs and staff have ranged widely in ethnic background and food experience. We analyzed the gaps in culturally relevant food safety training and set out to develop a food safety training program that incorporates hands-on practical learning with well-paced food safety training, incorporating both knowledge checks and interactive Q+A throughout. We reviewed the content from FSPCA and ServSafe training curriculum to determine which areas needed additional depth or practical application to help entrepreneurs and staff understand and run safe food operations. As more and more product based small companies need to comply with FSMA food safety guidelines as they scale, we made sure that this training introduced the concepts and terminology from FSMA and makes it easier for entrepreneurs to take the next step in food safety requirements as they scale. At CommonWealth Kitchen, as at many shared kitchen spaces, the types of products and processes vary widely. To address this reality while helping entrepreneurs and staff understand the food safety considerations in their processes, we developed a generalized food process map that allows entrepreneurs and staff from various types of production to map their own specific processes. We have used a version of this "food flow map" in the past to help entrepreneurs map out their production operations, and have now incorporated the food map into this NIFA food safety training so entrepreneurs and staff can incorporate the relevant food safety considerations at each step in the process. We incorporated visual cues for each step to help learners of all different types understand the steps in the food flow. We created a 3-module virtual training program. The first module is an overview and grounding in the "why," the importance of food safety, and other big picture grounding like "person in charge" requirements and regulating agencies. The second module dives deeper into Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) -- bringing in the day-to-day practical elements of food safety in a shared kitchen manufacturing facility. The third module introduces contaminant categories, tracking food safety considerations throughout the stages of the food flow, and developing a food safety management system. This module helps prepare entrepreneurs and staff for more intensive manufacturing food safety requirements they will be required to comply with as they scale. Each module is applicable to a shared kitchen space like CommonWealth Kitchen. The photos and examples used are practical and specific to a shared kitchen space. The training content is developed in a way so it can be used individually by the trainee, or with a proctor talking through the content with additional detail. While creating these training materials and processes for new entrepreneurs and staff, we also continued to support current entrepreneurs and staff in complying and adjusting processes to maintain safe food operations throughout the COVID pandemic. In 2020, in the first year of the COVID pandemic, we shifted from group food safety training to more 1:1 support for current CommonWealth Kitchen member businesses as the entrepreneurs adjusted their practices to comply with new regulations and food safety considerations. We also created a hands-on training to follow the virtual intro training and make sure participants can practically understand the food safety material. In order to make sure that this hands-on training takes place with each new entrepreneur, we incorporated it into our new holistic business training program for new member companies at CommonWealth Kitchen called "Ready to Launch." As part of this new program, our kitchen team spends around a half day in the kitchen with new entrepreneurs and staff, talking through the food safety concepts as they relate to the entrepreneurs' specific production and conversationally checking their food safety understanding. Part of the process before the entrepreneurs even practice these concepts in the kitchen space with the "Ready to Launch" program is a 1:1 conversational training based on the entreprneuers' food flow. As CWK's in-house manufacturing mimics the wide-ranging types of processes of a shared kitchen, this training material is also relevant and used to train CWK's manufacturing staff. For this practical and multi-part food safety training, we are assessing understanding through in-person conversational check-ins. Before any training takes place, we discuss the food flow and assess the entrepreneur or staff's food safety understanding. Then, after the virtual and hands-on training, we assess the impact through the process of completing documentation for the application to the health department. We also assess understanding of concepts through the knowledge checks presented throughout the virtual training. Throughout March - August of 2021, we ran the food safety training with our own manufacturing staff and all of the new member companies through the pilot of the "Ready to Launch" program. After going through the process with new entrepreneurs and assessing the impact of the new food safety training in addition to getting feedback from staff and entrepreneurs, we made some revisions to the content and process to make sure we're introducing the new terminology and practical content at the right time in the onboarding process. We have completed the training materials development and made the various aspects of this training mandatory for new member companies joining the kitchen.

    Publications


      Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

      Outputs
      Target Audience:When complete, CWK's food safety training will be delivered to member businesses and their employees, as well as CWK foodproduction staff. Long term, CWK hopes that thecurriculum will be adapted and utilized by other regional food centers and sharedkitchens. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic has made initially planned hands-on training delivery to groups virtually impossible. CWK has changed the training curriculum delivery to much smaller group(s) or individual(s) when in-person. CWK has also provided the comprehensive training to the new/incoming food businesses via zoom, and followed up with in-person review and further instructions when these business(es) come to CWK shared kitchen for food prep and production. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?CWK has not yet finalized and delivered the food safety curriculum due to the interruptions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. CWK provided invidividualized, but not comprehensive, trainings to the CWK-kitchen staff and the returning member businesses and their business staff. The formal comprehensive training and professional development will occur in the third year of this project. However, the project has yielded informal professional development for CWK leadership and staff, who now better understand the food safety needs of member businesses. As a result, CWK has instituted new policies, such as the development of cleaning guides for kitchen equipment. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?CWK will disseminate the results of its food safety trainings in year three of the project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?CWK will complete Aims 2 through 5 as outlined above.

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? Aim 2: During this program year, work progress was interrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) managed the staff turnover on this project and continued the work with Opus Design Group to transfer training content into independent digital platform. CWK and Opus Group completed the training currciculum transfer in early 2021. During initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, CWK team vigorously followed the CDC-guidelines and news publications to learn about the additional santitary recommentaions and procedures to reduce COVID transmission. CWK implemented such additional sanitary measures in the commissary and shared kitchens though they were not directly related to the NIFA food safety training scope. Aim 3: Due to the CWK staff turnover, CWK started providing individualized food safety trainings to the CWK-staff involved in producing emergency meals for distribution to the hardest-hit neighborhoods in Boston. In late June 2020, a few shared kitchen members returned to the use the shared kitchen to prepare food for distribution. CWK staff provided necessary though not comprehensive food safety training to these member businesses and their staff to refresh and to increase their knowledge on food safety.

      Publications


        Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

        Outputs
        Target Audience:When complete, CWK's food safety training will be delivered to member businesses and their employees, as well as CWK food production staff. Long term, CWK hopes that the curriculum will be adapted and utilized by other regional food centers and shared kitchens. Changes/Problems:CWK underestimated the complexity of achieving Safe Quality Food (SQF) third party certification for the manufacturing kitchen, the amount of systems-building that be necessary, and the degree to which certification (achieved in February) would increase the workload of the food safety team. Staffing transitions and the push to significantly scale up the manufacturing of select member sauces have also slowed progress on the development and roll-out of the envisioned curriculum. Rather than attempting to launch a program not yet fully-formed, CWK staff have requested a 12-month extension of the performance period in order to develop a stronger product. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?CWK has not yet finalized and delivered the food safety curriculum and therefore the formal training and professional development will occur in the second year of this project. However, the project has yielded informal professional development for CWK leadership and staff, who now better understand the food safety needs of member businesses. As a result, CWK has instituted new policies, such as the development of cleaning guides for kitchen equipment. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?CWK will complete Aims 2 through 5 as outlined above

        Impacts
        What was accomplished under these goals? CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK)accomplished the goals listed in Aim 1 and the majority of the goals listed in Aim 2. Aim 1: Determine the Food Safety Needs of CWK's Small-Batch Manufacturing Operation and Shared Kitchens. CWK developed and administered an online assessment to establish the current state of understanding and consistency of adherence to basic Serv-Safe and good food manufacturing practices and applicable FSMA and other relevant regulations, as well as risk-based preventive controls such as cGMPs, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) for CWK's own manufacturing operations and for the operations of the wholesale and retail companies sharing CWK's incubator kitchens. Through conversations with member business owners, CWK staff sought and received feedback on training pain points and curriculum needs. Aim 2: Creating A Customized Training Program with Modules Focused on CWK's Manufacturing Operations, and a Subset for Shared Kitchen Member Companies. Using the online assessment and input from member businesses as a guide, CWK created a series of training modules that encompass each stage of the food handling process including purchasing, receiving, storage, preparation, and servicing or packaging stages as well as a "Food Map" to reflect the operations pertinent to CWK organizations and members. Dr. Amanda Kinchla, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Department of Food Science, reviewed the training content to ensure regulatory compliance. CWK developed an internal process to insure that the food safety training becomes a part of CWK's culture and organizational policies. CWK developed, and circulated an RFP for a Digital Training Designer, to transfer training content into independent digital platform. After vetting multiple proposals, CWK elected Opus Design Group as best suited to the needs of the project and has submitted required documentation to support release of award funds for this team.

        Publications