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The long term goal of this proposed project is to enhance the food safety of specialty food production in the Northwest region by developing effective training, education and third party certification programs. <P>
The supporting objectives are: <OL> <LI> Develop and implement an education needs assessment survey for regional food safety groups, including state food inspectors, regulators, and Extension educators, as well as specialty food vendors and related organizations to assess existing practices and risks in specialty food processing and to determine training needs and gaps in knowledge in order to ensure the safety of specialty food products. <LI> Develop two sets of training materials and modules, one for regional food safety regulators and another for specialty food processors to improve their skills and abilities to follow appropriate food handling practices in their operations. <LI> Disseminate training modules in workshops and other educational formats, such as fact sheets, websites, and videos through OSU, WSU and UI Extension service programs. <LI> Determine the effectiveness of relevant education programs in ID, OR, and WA through assessments by regulatory authorities and approved third-parties and by evaluation of program resources.
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Expected outputs are: <UL> <LI> Quantitative information about SF processing in the Northwest region, including numbers, type and size of processors, major product categories and their volume, channels of product distribution and marketing, inspection procedures, and existing gaps with respect to regulation and education, and approaches to reach SF processors and vendors. <LI>A better understanding about the potential food safety hazards associated with the production of specialty foods that will lead to specific and appropriate controls and strategies for ensuring their safety. <LI>Two sets of training curricula including different modules will be developed and used for training food safety regulators to allow more practical and effective inspections and associated recommendations, and specialty food processors to be cognizant of specific controls and practices to eliminate and/or minimize hazards, thus enhancing the safe production of their products. <LI> Production standards and a check-list for the third party specialty food audit certification program will be developed.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Specialty food (SF) products are high value foods made in small quantities from superior quality ingredients that offer distinctive features to customers who pay a premium price. Increased SF production has raised food safety concerns due to potential hazards, including 1) a lack of adequate barriers to prevent contamination by microorganisms as a result of "all natural" with !DGno added preservatives!-; 2) many SF processors lack training in food processing; 3) uncommon and poorly characterized ingredients and procedures used to create SF products may result in pathogen and allergen contamination; and 4) lack appropriate regulations on SF products. These potential hazards necessitate a thorough examination of food safety issues in SF production and development of specific guidelines and procedures for ensuring their safe production. The overall project goal is to enhance food safety of SF production in the Northwest region through developing and implementing food safety training and a third party audit certification program. Specific objectives are: 1) assessing the current practices and knowledge gaps in ensuring food safety of SF production through a needs assessment survey and SF products evaluation; 2) developing training for regional food regulators and specialty food processors to improve their knowledge of safe SF processing; 3) conducting training via workshops, online courses, websites, and videos; and 4) evaluating effectiveness of the education programs through assessments by regulators and a third party certification program. Through enhancing food safety of SF products, this project would aid in promotion and marketing of US agriculture and human health.<P>
APPROACH: 1. Develop and implement a needs assessment for specialty foods Four approaches will be used: forming an advisory committee, leading discussions among project participants and the SF industry, developing a regional survey addressed to food safety regulators, SF processors, vendors and relevant trade organizations, and evaluating SF products on the market. <P>2. Development of training curriculum and modules Two sets of training curricula will be developed: one targeted for food safety regulators and inspectors, and another for SF vendors and processors. Current federal food safety programs, including Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Standard Sanitation Operation Procedures (SSOPs), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and essential features of regulatory law pertaining to labeling (allergens) for risk reduction will be included. <P>3. Dissemination of training modules in workshops and other forms of education Several methods of program delivery will be used to best serve client needs and to reach the maximum number of clients. These will include traditional face-to-face workshops/shortcourses, online courses, websites, audios, videos, and CDs. Pamphlets, brochures, and fact sheets that contain clear and easy-to-understand messages covering the concepts, technologies, food safety issues, and federal and state regulations will be developed and distributed at the workshops and shortcourses, and to other interested parties. In addition, video programming demonstrating in-plant processing operations and critical procedures to ensure food safety will be produced. <P>4. Development of a third party audit certification program A voluntary third party audit certification program for SF production in the Northwest region will be developed. This certification program can be used as an avenue to promote and enhance food safety of SF production and distribution. It can also be used as a marketing tool to increase product competitiveness. This will be a collaborative effort among the state departments of agriculture in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and related SF associations.<P> 5. Evaluation of education/training programs Each phase of the project will be evaluated, including the initial assessment and survey, participants training in the workshop/shortcourse and online course, and the audit certification program. Evaluation materials and procedures will be reviewed by the advisory committee before implementation. Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model will be used as this model is the best known and most widely used for measuring the effectiveness of training programs.