Virginia Tech to lead multistate training program for small food processors

Small food processors – thsoe who work out of their homes, farms, storefronts, and community kitchens to prepare and sell food – face a mountain of confusing food safety regulations and compliance hurdles when marketing their goods.

Alexis Hamilton, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Science, is leading a multistate effort to make the process more manageable for small processors, who represent nearly $20 billion in U.S. food sales each year.

The project, backed by a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, aims to provide foundational training for small food processors on how to make safe food products that comply with various state-specific regulations.

Hamilton, an Extension specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension, has partnered with colleagues at Virginia Tech and the University of Arkansas, University of Georgia, and North Carolina State University to develop the program. It will consist of a series of online courses that review each state's specific regulatory requirements and in-person sessions covering fundamental food safety concepts.

“While the core science behind what makes foods safe does not significantly change based on the state you’re in, state regulations vary significantly, impacting how these processors navigate the sale of their products,” Hamilton said. “We've tried to hop state lines to get to the core of the science to create training that could be utilized anywhere in the country.”

Extension Specialist and Experiential Learning Coordinator Joell Eifert of the Department of Food Science and Technology; Melissa Wright, the director of Virginia Tech’s Food Producer Technical Assistance Network; and Tiffany Drape, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, are helping lead the project.

Small food processors encompass a wide range of operations, from home kitchens to shared-use commercial kitchens to storefronts that ship products for processing. 

“If you go to a farmers market, you are probably meeting a small processor,” Hamilton said. “It could be someone making jams, jellies, pickles, hot sauce and dressings or baking a product like chocolate, cookies, or confections, for example.”

Hamilton said the diversity of these small processors poses challenges in ensuring food safety and regulatory compliance. 

“Most existing training programs are designed for larger businesses and don’t address the needs of small processors, who may be using a home oven instead of an industrial tunnel oven that could be as big as the size of a football field,” Hamilton said. “Our program shows how the regulations fit the science rather than trying to make the science fit the regulations. We are training participants on state-specific content they need to know and developing in-person content to help them meet state requirements, regardless of where they are.”

Initially the program will be offered to approximately 160 participants. The project team and an advisory board of food industry safety experts will evaluate its success based on how well participants improve their knowledge of state regulations and food safety, adopt safer food safety practices, and categorize their products to fit into the regulatory landscape.

In the future, Hamilton and her team hope the program can be adapted and expanded to help small food processors across the country grow their businesses.

“Our ultimate goal is to empower small processors with the knowledge and skills necessary to produce safe food products and compete effectively in the market,” Hamilton said. “When they understand how to communicate the safety of their products to consumers, it boosts their marketability, buying relationships, and long-term economic viability.”