Recipient Organization
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
1680 MADISON AVENUE
WOOSTER,OH 44691
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Individuals who make food in their homes, with the intention of selling it, are often termed "cottage food" producers. Cottage food production has gained popularity, especially due to an uptick in activities such as home food preservation and baking during/post COVID-19 pandemic. Cottage food rules differ amongststates. Ohio has a two-tiered system that divides home-produced packaged foods into two categories: cottage foods and home bakery foods. Cottage foods do not require alicense and home bakery foods do (because home bakery items are generally food items needing refrigeration).Interest in cottage food and home bakery operations is increasing in Ohio, as evidenced by a 2022 webinar on home-based food production that was attended by over 300 Ohioans. These producers, however, often lack the resources and support needed to ensure their products are safe and wholesome. Curriculum will be created by Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) food safety and regulatory experts, including a former Ohio Department of Agriculture Inspector. Trainings will use Ohio regulations and food safety considerations for the home producer such as: managing other persons in production areas, upholding sanitation standards, and adhering to packaging and storage recommendations and/or requirements. In-person workshops will be conducted in regions where home production is common (Plain Communities, Appalachia) and online webinar sessions will be held for those preferring virtual sessions. Live "virtual office hours" will be held monthly for Ohioans to speak to knowledgeable representatives about cottage and home bakery operations. Extension factsheets (brief information sheets that include food safety or other technical information for specific groups of people) will be created, published, and disseminated to those inquiring about home food production with intent to sell. Cottage food operations may be exempt from licensing and inspection; producers should be empowered to implement good food safety practices within their business.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The overarching goal of this community outreach project is to provide food safety training and technical assistance, tailored to Ohio regulations for both cottage food and home bakery producers by completing the follow objectives: 1) Develop and implement food safety curriculum; 2) Establish multi-platform communication lines for technical assistance purposes; and 3) Create cottage food and home bakery resources.
Project Methods
Efforts: Cottage food and home bakery food safety curricula and resources will be tailored towards Ohio specific regulations which should minimizeconstituentconfusion with other state cottage food regulations. A multi-modal (both virtual and in-person) approach with varied resources (e.g., fact sheets, training curricula, office hours) will be implemented which will provide Ohioans with options to fit their personal needs regarding their food business and/or future business. Dissemination of food safety information will be conducted via workshops, as well as through Ohio State UniversityExtension platformsand personnel.Evaluation: A short survey will be used to assess participant knowledge and intended behavior change. Follow up surveys (online and written)/phone callswill be used to contact individuals who have participated in all trainings to see if they implemented any food safety practices and risk reduction strategies recommended in the trainings. Data analyticswill be used to track engagement with online resources such as the Extension fact sheets. Formal and informal data will be collected on complaints filed with the Ohio Department of Agriculture for cottage food and home bakery operators.