Resources
We get lots of questions concerning food safety, product packaging, processing certifications, business plan writing, and classes offered by IFAS and others. This page provides important resources for those of you asking about these areas and more.
NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION:
IFAS Food Safety and Quality Program
NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA INSPECTING AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION:
Coming soon.
WORKSHOPS/TRAININGS:
We include some out-of-state listings because not all classes are offered in-state and, if you are willing to travel, there is a wider availability.
Those of you who will be producing an acidified, low-acid food may be required to attend the acidified foods Better Process Control School. It is currently not offered in Florida, but is in Georgia and North Carolina. If you are not required to take it, we strongly recommend you do anyway as it will educate you about your products, their processes and requirements; prepare you for creating and operating within your special section of food safety protocols; and also prepare you for your new relationship with the FDA. You should look up the class dates as soon as possible as they are offered only several times during the year.
Examples of workshops/trainings you will find below: Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP); Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP); Better Process Control School, Acidified Foods; seafood-specific courses (food safety, HACCP, etc.); commodities courses; food engineering courses; etc.
NC State Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences
UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
GENERAL ENTREPRENEUR RESOURCES:
Santa Fe College’s Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED)
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UNF
FOOD ENTREPRENEUR RESOURCES:
NC State Entrepreneur Assistance Program, Dept. of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences
UGA Department of Food Science and Technology
FARM-to-RESTAURANT INITIATIVE:
The Farm-to-Restaurant Initiative is a partnership between Slow Food Gainesville and Blue Oven to provide a forum to foster communication, education, and understanding between farmers, distributors, restaurateurs and others in order to bring more locally grown and produced food into North Central Florida food service. We have been offering workshops and pro bono consulting services to help create these pathways.
More information to come. You can also find us on our Farm Fresh Community Market page.
LITE FARE WORKSHOP PRESENTATION MATERIALS:
- On August 16, 2010, Cansel Osberg conducted a workshop entitled, “My Experience as a Food Entrepreneur.” Here is her PowerPoint (Junselle TG v11) from that workshop in case you missed it and the delicious food Cansel prepared for us! It provides the general outline of her talk on her experience as a food-based start-up, as well as a week-by-week schedule for getting on track to bringing your product to market. Cansel Osberg is the owner of Junselle’s Turkish Gold, a local and family-owned company specializing in gourmet ingredient mixes. Born in Istanbul and raised in Germany, Ms. Osberg believes her Turkish culture has heavily influenced her entrepreneurial spirit. More information about Junselle’s Turkish Gold can be found at http://www.junselle.com/.
- On November 15, 2010, Sharon Yeago conducted a workshop entitled, “Federal Food Nutrition Programs and How They Can Help Our Farmers and Our Community”. This workshop familiarized farmers’ market vendors and others about how federal dollars (such as SNAP/WIC) are spent on and at farmers markets, and the latest trends in this spending; and how best to enter and expand your business at the farmers’ markets, especially in light of federal funding. Here is her PowerPoint (Healthy Options Workshop Blue Kitchens) presentation. Florida Organic Growers also provided an update on Alachua County’s initiative to bring EBT at two, key farmers’ markets: Union Street and 441. Sharon Yeago has been involved with helping to grow small farmers and farmers markets in Florida for the past 10 years. In 2005, she helped launch the Farmers Market Coalition, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets across the United States. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors. Sharon is a past Chairman of the Board for the Florida Association of Community Farmers Markets and developed Buy Local Florida, one of the first programs supported by the USDA’s Farmers Market Promotion Program.
If you would like to suggest an addition to this page, please send an email to Val@blueovenkitchens.org.
