MDARD-The HACCP Training and Technical Assistance Pilot Program

Key Personnel: Diane Smith, Christopher Peterson

The enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) creates a new urgency for the development of affordable food safety technical assistance that small food processors and wholesale vegetable producers can utilize. In addition to the potential ramifications of the FSMA, current regulations require all new Michigan food processors with a meat, juice, or dairy food product to have a HACCP plan before commercialization.

The objectives of the program are as follows:

  • train MSU Product Center Innovation Counselors and HI-VAT staff in HACCP plan principles and development,
  • pilot a program with small and very small Michigan food processors that will provide them technical consultations to complete HACCP plans, specialized retail meat variance applications and food processing programs for new product commercialization,
  • provide an overview of the impacts of the FSMA regulations relevant to small and very small food manufacturing companies.

Implementation Period  Apr 2014 - Jun 2015