Caters to needs of local food producers and processors
College offers food safety regulatory training for locavore entrepreneurs in Ontario
Instructors in the Continuing Education program at Georgian College in central Ontario, Canada, recently noticed that a number of local food production and processing businesses were springing up.
Amy Bracco and Angela Newman, both part-time instructors at Georgian, realized the entrepreneurs behind those businesses would need training in local, provincial and national food safety regulations. In addition to teaching, Bracco is a chef and product developer, and Newman is a public health inspector.
In partnership with Grey, Bruce and Simcoe counties, Bracco and Newman developed a course for small farm food processors, producers selling at farmers’ markets, caterers and restaurant operators. It is being offered as a pilot program twice in the first quarter of this year.
The course will be held January 24 and 25 at Georgian College’s Barrie campus, and on March 7 and 8 at the South Georgian Bay Campus.
Pilot ready for takeoff
The pilot program is sponsored by the Grey Bruce Health Unit, the health department serving Grey and Bruce counties. It debuted November 22-23, 2014, at the college’s Owen Sound Campus.
“As it is a sponsored pilot, space is limited,” Georgian College spokesman Mark Hall told FoodProductionDaily. “There were 22 participants in the Owen Sound class, and we expect to have 60 to 90 students in total complete the pilot.”
The course is designed to help local entrepreneurs recognize and understand the roles of the various levels of government and regulatory agencies related to food production. It also aims to stimulate the creation and expansion of food-related businesses in Ontario.
Participants will learn how to utilize and implement food safety plans and strategies, and to recognize and understand key regulations in food production. They will also be taught how to navigate a regulatory agency and its requirements in order to implement the regulations in a food business.
Through the course, participants will receive one-on-one mentoring with area food experts. They will have access to both Genesis nutritional analysis and labelling software, and a web-based simulation of a potential food safety crisis.
Rave reviews
Feedback from people who attended the debut session in November was extremely positive, Hall said.
“Highly recommended that anyone in food business attend this course. Very worthwhile!” said one participant.
“What a perfect first step for incubating my food business in Ontario, Canada and the world,” said another.
