AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host five Food Safety and Iowa Regulation Training sessions to help producers – home food operations and home bakers – better comply with the state of Iowa regulations.
The sessions will be held across the state and will address Iowa regulations and licensing, as well as food safety procedures from preparation to the point of sale. They are intended for exempt home food operations and home bakers who make and sell foods out of their homes or sell produce at farmers markets.
“Iowa has unique laws that do allow for some foods to be sold out of the home or at a farmers market that might not be the case somewhere else,” said Shannon Coleman, assistant professor in food science and human nutrition and a Human Sciences Extension and Outreach specialist at Iowa State. “These training sessions have been tailored specifically to Iowa’s laws and regulations and also include food safety information that can be used in production and at the point of sale.”
The five training sessions are scheduled for:
- Feb. 3 – ISU Extension and Outreach Buena Vista County office; Storm Lake, Iowa
- Feb. 10 – ISU Extension and Outreach Cass County office; Atlantic, Iowa
- March 3 – ISU Extension and Outreach Washington County office; Washington, Iowa
- March 10 – St. Paul’s Methodist Church; Waterloo, Iowa
- March 31 – Iowa State University Food Science Building; Ames, Iowa
Courses will cover Iowa policies and regulations, food safety basics, foodborne pathogens, TCS and non-TCS foods, and safe production and preparation practices. Each session will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A maximum of 30 participants can register for each session. The training is free. Contact Coleman at scoleman@iastate.edu or 515-294-9011 to register or for more information.
The workshops are supported by the Herb Howell Excellence in Extension award.