Online Food Safety Training Available for Home-based Food Businesses in Iowa

AMES, Iowa – As harvest season is wrapping up, small meals companies in Iowa are busy baking pumpkin pies and canning contemporary blackberry jam. A part of the meals provide chain, Iowans who produce and promote items from their houses are often known as home-based kitchen operators.

In line with a brand new regulation, HF 2431, which handed in Iowa in June 2022, there are two varieties: cottage meals operators and residential meals processing institutions. The brand new regulation, generally known as the cottage meals regulation, adjustments the laws and licensing data for home-based kitchen operators. Beforehand there was licensing just for dwelling bakeries. The brand new licensing has broadened to incorporate different dwelling meals processing institutions. The brand new regulation additionally expands what they’re able to produce and promote from their very own houses.

Iowa State College Extension and Outreach gives on-line coaching in meals security, meals preparation and Iowa guidelines and laws designed particularly for each varieties of home-based kitchen operators in Iowa, in keeping with Shannon Coleman, affiliate professor in meals science and human diet and a human sciences extension specialist at Iowa State.

The Residence-Primarily based Kitchen Operations: Rules and Meals Security Course is offered on-line 24/7 in Moodle, a web-based studying administration system.

“Iowa has distinctive legal guidelines that do permit for some meals to be bought out of the house or at a farmers market,” mentioned Coleman. “The web studying modules on this course have been tailor-made particularly to Iowa’s legal guidelines and laws and likewise embody meals security data that can be utilized in manufacturing and on the level of sale. Our coaching can be listed as one of many authorised trainings to acquire a house meals processing license.”

The Residence-Primarily based Kitchen Operations: Rules and Meals Security Course modules deal with Iowa laws and licensing and meals security procedures from preparation to level of sale. Subjects embody, however will not be restricted to, meals security fundamentals, labeling data, foodborne pathogens, meals that do and don’t require temperature management for security, and record-keeping.

meals companies could register on-line at https://retailer.extension.iastate.edu/product/16554. The price of the coaching is $35. Meals companies that accomplished the earlier in-person and on-line home-based kitchen operator coaching (earlier than coaching was required for licensing) could enroll within the authorised on-line coaching without charge. Please contact Shannon Coleman at scoleman@iastate.edu or 515-294-9011 to register or for extra data.