NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

May 27, 1999

Free Food Safety Tests, Training Available for N.D. Processors

Starting in June North Dakota businesses that process acidified foods such as salsa and low-sugar jellies will receive free on-site food safety tests. The Food and Drug Administration requires that all acidified foods be tested to determine pH level and water activity, which is the amount of moisture available to support bacterial growth.

In total, $48,000 is available for testing, training and developing a food processors' manual. The money for these services is coming via a grant from North Dakota's Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) and matching funds provided by the Manufacturing Technology Partnership, a program of the Institute for Business and Industry Development at North Dakota State University.

"This testing is important because just one food safety problem resulting from noncompliance could have ramifications for all the state's food processors," says Julie Garden-Robinson, extension food and nutrition specialist at NDSU.

As part of her role with the NDSU Extension Service, Garden-Robinson conducts food safety workshops based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), a national training program for producers, processors and the foodservice industry. She will serve as co-director of the testing project along with Jim Lambert, a specialist with the Manufacturing Technology Partnership.

"Some small processors may not be meeting those FDA testing requirements or getting the food safety training that's required," Lambert says. "Food processing research and testing can be costly, often topping $10,000 per product. And attending a training session is usually $500 or more, plus travel expenses and time."

During the on-site visits, project staff expect to find some companies with processing difficulties extending beyond safety issues, Garden-Robinson says. The staff will refer companies that want processing assistance to an engineer in the Manufacturing Technology Partnership program. The training and reference manual will be tailored to meet processor needs and will be based on information collected during site visits.

"The value-added food processing industry in North Dakota is really growing," Lambert says. "With increasing input costs and decreasing commodity prices, many farmers are making value-added foods to supplement their income, but quite often they have nowhere to turn for FDA compliance information—if they are aware of the regulations at all."

Food processors interested in finding out more about the upcoming food safety testing can contact Garden-Robinson at (701) 231-7187 or Lambert at (701) 231-1001.

With its funding coming from several state sources and at the federal level from the Rural Business Enterprise Grant, APUC is operated by the North Dakota Department of Economic Development and Finance. NDSU's Manufacturing Technology Partnership is an affiliate of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program of the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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Sources: Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187 and Jim Lambert (701) 231-1001

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136