Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Home-based food manufacturers engaged in cottage food production, small food producers (home-based) enterprises, small food businesses, Extension educators, and state regulators. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We organized a total of eleven workshops involving cottage food producers in IL and OK. In this year, several Illinois specific documents were created and finalized that are going to be used by the cottage food stakeholders and the state agency, such as, Cottage Food Registration Form, Cottage Food Home Self-Certification Checklist, Cottage Food Investigation Report, Cottage Food Operation Inspection Guidance, Food Safety Plan for Acidified and Fermented Foods. In addition, the team in Oklahoma has trained five Extension Educators, 11 Farmers Market Managers, and two food hub organizers in safe cottage food production. Two Extension Educators in Oklahoma are also developing and modifying canning training to incorporate cottage food regulations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In Illinois, IL, cottage food website, IL Cottage Food Handbook, webinar, and interviews. In Oklahoma, the Robert M. Kerr Food & Ag Products Center website features an updated factsheet on the Oklahoma Food Freedom Act. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the upcoming year of the funding cycle, our objectives include arranging between six and ten workshops across Illinois and Oklahoma. At least two of these workshops will be "training series" to promote to health departments and new sanitarians. Additionally, we are currently working on distributing approximately three to five small grant awards to organizations through requests for applications(RFA). These grants aim to support the development of cottage food safety plans and offer technical assistance.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Illinois Cottage Food Team taught ~210 participants via either webinars or in-person cottage food classes over the reporting period for home-based food producers, which summarizes the Illinois Cottage Food Laws in Illinois and is available through the "Learn @ Illinois Extension" platform. The PI conducted three webinars for the cottage food stakeholders' group, which more than 50 participants attended. In Illinois, the workshops covered topics such as cottage food registrations, TCS vs non-TCS food, and fermented foods. In Oklahoma, 172 participants attended day-long Cottage Food Law training workshops, which are recognized by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry as one of the two required trainings for anyone in Oklahoma wishing to produce TCS food under the Food Freedom Act. Additionally, Oklahoma has provided over 40 instances of one-on-one assistance to cottage food producers in Oklahoma, addressing regulatory compliance, food safety, label design, and quality issues.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Small or non-traditional food processors involved in home-based food production/cottage food operation and small food businesses. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We organized a total of 14 workshops involving cottage food producers in IL and OK. In addition, one state-specific facts sheet, one state-specific cottage food handbook, and one online course have been developed and distributed among the stakeholders. The training that we developed continues to provide professional development and awareness-building activities among home-based food producers in IL and OK. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In Illinois, IL cottage food website, IL Cottage Food Handbook, webinar, and interviews. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma -specific cottage food law fact sheet. Eight (8) presentations at various farmers markets, three (3) presentations/talks at farmers' market conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to accomplish the following goals during the next year of the funding cycle: organizing ten workshops. These workshops will include a one-day hands-on GMP-based course focusing on risk reduction practices, record keeping, and preventive control in food processing. We expect to provide 8-10 small grant awards to community organizations to develop their cottage food safety plan and provide technical assistance by means of requests for small grant applications (RFAs).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the first year of the project, we co-sponsored the "Home-based Food Entrepreneur Virtual National Conference 2023" with our cottage food stakeholders group, which more than 460 participants attended. In Illinois, we offered a workshop titled "Understanding the Science & Safety Behind Non-Hazardous Food Products," which was attended by 114 cottage food operators. We have also developed an online course on "Cottage Food Operator Training" for Illinois home-based food producers on "Learn @ Illinois Extension." For this reporting cycle, approximately 190 participants have completed at least one module of this online course. In addition, in Illinois, our team taught more than 200 participants via either webinars or in-person cottage food classes over the last year. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma Cottage Food Specific training was developed. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food & Forestry evaluates and recognizes the training. We offered 12 workshops throughout the State and trained over 300 stakeholders. We also developed a State-specific cottage food law fact sheet.
Publications
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