Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience focused on mid-size food processors, including: dairy farms endeavoring into cheese making, maple syrup producers making and selling syrups, candies, and other maple products, specialty food producers making mustards, sauces, & nut-based cheeses, people making baked goods such as breads, cookies, and sweets, as well as other producers converting raw products into value-added items. In addition to the producers themselves, we also invited food inspectors to this series. Changes/Problems:Our project was not without its major challenges. Our first major change occurred when one team member left UNH Cooperative Extension. This caused us to find a replacement educator who had the skills we needed and then all get up to speed. We also decided, based on target audience survey data, to modify our planned curriculum and add in a focus about the NH Homestead Act and other commercial food sales requirements. Office for Refugee and Immigrant Success's cooperative farm, Fresh Start, whose Director wrote a letter of support and expressed a desire to participate in our program, felt they were not in a place to start planning their food-based businesses and thus were not able to engage in our program. Difficulties reaching New American audience despite reaching out to 25 individuals for help. And of course, our list would not be complete without the most major challenge of them all, the onset of COVID-19, which resulted in the cancellation of all in-person trainings. This challenge resulted in innovative educational methods and perhaps greater reach in the form of fact sheets and on-line materials. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Food safety and pathogen and hazards of concern: Through small group cohort and one-on-one educational events, four UNH Cooperative Extension Field Specialists and two NH Health and Human Services Inspectors built their knowledge and skills in practical, effective ways to teach farmers and new food producers health and hygiene practices, record keeping, and sanitation practices. Teaching farmers to develop Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs): Utilizing web-based research and small group discussions to build their skills, three UNH Cooperative Extension Field Specialists increased their skills in assisting producers in developing written cGMPs. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) - Preventive Controls: Four UNH Cooperative Extension Field Specialists and two NH Health and Human Services Inspectors increased their knowledge in FSMA Preventive Controls, including compliance determination and requirements by participating in professional development activities with the UNH Cooperative Extension FSMA Team. Ways to work with New Americans: Six agricultural service providers increased their skills in diversifying educational methods to educate audiences for whom English is a second language. Better Process School was attended by two UNH Cooperative Extension field specialists to increase their knowledge and skills. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have posted the fact sheet series on our UNH Cooperative Extension Website, as well as sent these and our other educational materials to the on-line resource repository at the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS). The fact sheets have been viewed 390 times as of the writing of this report. The fact sheet series was sent to 7,667 individuals through newsletters going to Extension audiences at both county and statewide level. Additionally, we have sent links to our resources to the NH Farm Bureau to include in their statewide newsletter. We further disseminated our educational materials through the NH Farmers' Market Managers Organization We also utilized social platforms, blog, and press releases, and sent educational materials to organizations that work closely with New Americans. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Safety Awareness in the Food Environment (SAFE) Program was re-designed, adapted, and expanded from a 2-hour workshop for food service workers to a two-part, 10-hour series for food processors. Our targets were small commercial food processors and those looking to expand from a home-based business to a commercial business to build their skills and knowledge to sell safe, legal food products. SAFE's original topics included: health and hygiene, preventing cross-contamination, maintaining safe time-temperature principles, and effective cleaning and sanitizing. These topics were expanded to include understanding foodborne pathogens of concern in food processing, food safety planning, understanding the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventive Controls compliance requirements, developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), and an overview of Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPS). To enhance learning about food processing, participants had the opportunity to learn from a panel of experts on food production and sales in New Hampshire. The panel consisted of a state food and health inspector, a buyer of specialty foods, and a successful businesses owner. Each panelist was able to share information and answer questions about food safety, rules and regulations, and stories of practices that led to their success. We ran three, two-session workshops (10 hours each day) that covered hazards and foodborne illness, employee health and hygiene, sanitation, cleaning and sanitizing, keeping your food producing facilities safe, food safety planning, creating Standard Operating Procedures, current Good Manufacturing Practices, and the Food Safety Modernization Act-an overview and coverage determination. These sessions were held in Portsmouth, NH, North Haverhill, NH & Claremont, NH. Twenty-nine participants participated in this program. Some of the companies represented at the training included: Ever Better Eating/Rustic Crust, LaBottega Saladino, Presby's Maple Farm LLC, Fun to Eat Fruit, Homefree LLC, Merci - Small Batch Kitchen, Nuttin' Ordinary, Brookford Farm Creamery, Garfield's Smokehouse, LLC, Old Mason Farm, Dragon's Forge Mobile Pizzeria, Bellows House Bakery, Sunset Rock Farm, Berway Farm Creamery, Farmsteads of New England, Provincial Palete, Inc., and the food safety inspectors. After each session we provided pertinent follow up resources. This included answering question and following through with requested materials. Our sessions featured interactive activities, case studies, videos, USDA fact sheets on labeling and allergen labeling, handwashing demonstration, and we did a thermometer calibration and sanitizer testing. To help build skills, we created homework assignments on standard operatnig procedures (SOP) and creating food safety planning flow charts. Finally, we created a Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) online flow chart so participants, and other food processors could input thie rinformation and determine if they were covered and what their compliance mandates would be. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to implement our plan to hold workshops for the New American audiences, farmers wanting to begin processing valued-added products, and individuals looking to begin home-based food business in New Hampshire. To provide education and address many of the common questions from these groups, we developed a set of five fact sheets that we described in the section of this report entitled, "Other Products." These facts sheets explain important legal and food safety issues for home food business owners, including licensing, labeling, and health code compliance. The evaluations contained positive feedback. Participants liked the training and felt it was relevant to their processing work. The most frequently cited impacts included: understanding and writing SOPs, appropriate use of cleaners and sanitizers, and preventive control compliance. Participants further noted that their food safety knowledge increased in understanding hazards and foodborne pathogens, food safety planning, and developing Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs). When asked about their planned changes as a result of the class, participants cited that they would increase their record keeping, move chemicals to a designated area, write and implement SOPs, follow proper cleaning and sanitizing practices, create a checklist for consistency, develop logs to document procedures such as sanitizer concentration monitoring, and improve training for employee health and handwashing. Six months after the program we called participants for an open-ended follow-up evaluation. Participants cited the following changes they had made since the class: Changed outside entrances to process plant -- when people such as a salesperson arrives, they no longer enter directly into the processing plant. Implemented a rodent control plan for the processing plant. Reduced waste through improved Sanitation SOPs. Improved equipment sanitation, including retraining employees on washing pasteurizer and bulk tank and other cheese making equipment. Tracking and recording cGMPs and creating a check list to ensure completion. Enhanced health and hygiene training for employees and improved record keeping for accountability and documentation. Implemented new labeling practices for chemicals and are now leaving them in their original containers

Publications

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

Outputs
Target Audience:Audience reached were small - mid size food processors -- including but not limited to dairy farms making cheese; maple syrup producer; speciality foods such as mustards, sauces & nut -based cheese; and, baked goods. In addition, 2 food inspectors attended the series. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two, 10 hour trainings for commercial food processors. We also asked participants which topics they would like training on the future with 8/18 evaluations returned indicating the need for HACCP training. 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? Although both the end of workshop evaluations and follow-up evaluations were very positive, we will be fine tuning the curricula to continue helping businesses implement CGMPs and training of other staff members. Offer the program 2 more times to small and mid-size commercial food processors. We will also reach out to those operating under NH's Homestead rules who are looking to expand their business. Seeking input from stakeholders and audience members, modify the SAFE curriculum for use with New Americans. We will be offering at least one session for New Americans. Analyze the evaluation data from years 1 & 2. Share project outcomes and impacts with regional partners, stakeholders, NECAFS's clearinghouse and new Regional Centers.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Using brainstorming and a logic-mode design we expanded the SAFE curriculum to include understanding & preventing hazards & foodborne pathogens; employee health & hygiene; food safety planning; how to determine FSMA Preventive Control compliance, implementing Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs); and developing & implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Objective 2: Delivered two, 2 part workshops for 30 small and mid-size commercial food processors. The curriculum was designed to not only the increase knowledge of safe food handling topics but how to put them into practice through examples, case studies, small group work, and work in and out of class. Examples included: following a web-based flow-chart developed by UNH Extension, determine if your facility has to follow FSMA guidelines; drafting a food safety plan for your own business; and, developing & implementing SOPs. Objective 3: End of workshop evaluations captured knowledge gained on topics as well as intent to implement changes. We also called participants withing 6 months of workshop to conduct a follow-up evaluation. 30 people attended started the two-day workshop with 21 completing both days. 18 end-of-workshop evaluations were completed. No statistical analysis of the data has been completed. Of those completing the enf-of-workshop evaluation, the biggest knowlege gains were reported in understanding FSMA rules (14/18) compliance; SOPs (13/18); food safety plans (11/18); and, CGMPs (11/18). We asked people to specifically list things they had learned and the major topics mentioned were: Recordkeeping -- "If not documented, it wasn't done." SOPs CGMPs Sanitation The major topics on intent to change were: Development and management of SOPs Recordingkeeping Cleaning & sanitizing including chemical storage Changes made based on follow-up surveys. The most prominent changes were in sanitiation. Specific examples include: Changed so that no one except employees are allowed direct entry into the processing facility Now washing whey pump -- keeping track of when it was cleaned and by whom Retrained staff on on how to properly clean and sanitize equipment such as the pasteurizer and bulk tank Rewashing the pots and plans prior to cooking sauce for the day Added extra cleaning & sanitizing to the processing steps Paying attention more to non-food contact surfaces and cleaning more Developed a master cleaning schedule. The second most cited changes were in developing or improving/making adaptations to the company's food safety plan. Objective 4: An overview of the project was shared by a team member at NECAFS meeting. No other impacts or information has been shared.

Publications