Understanding Acidified Foods - Better Process Control School Training

Interested in canning pickles, relishes and salsa, pepper jelly, hot sauce, and other acidified foods for direct to consumer or retail sales in Maryland? Whether you have a business that you want to expand, or you are just in the planning stages, the Understanding Acidified Foods Better Process Control School (BPCS) workshop will be helpful for you.

Developed and presented by Dr. Y. Martin Lo, the training workshop will be offered in person and virtually and will cover the basics of food safety and regulations for acidified foods. Dr. Lo is well known for his informative and engaging training workshops and has helped numerous farmers, producers and food entrepreneurs achieve their BPCS certification. In-person attendance is recommended (seating limited to 25 people on a first come first serve basis).

Workshop topics include pH control and measurement, microbiology and principles of thermally processed foods, registration and filing with the FDA, record keeping and other prerequisites. The BPCS satisfies the mandatory certification requirements of both the Food and Drug Administration and Maryland Department of Health for all food processors (on-farm, and small and large processors) engaging in the production of acidified foods. Dr. Lo will award Certificates of Completion to attendees who successfully complete the training and tests.

OFFERED IN PERSON AND SIMULTANEOUSLY BY LIVE WEBINAR - The full day ‘Understanding Acidified Foods’ BPCS will be held on Monday, March 20, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The In-Person BPCS (seating limited to 25 people) will take place at the Prince George’s County Soil Conservation District office meeting room located at 5301 Marlboro Race Track Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
• The 'Virtual' webinar will be conducted through Microsoft Teams. Webinar link and class materials will be emailed to participants before the training.
• Class fee is $160.00 per person (*in-person or webinar), and includes class materials.
• *In-person fee includes coffee, water and a boxed lunch. OR you may bring your own snacks and drinks

Questions about registration? Email [email protected]

o 8:45-9:00 Technology Set-up and In-person Check-in

o 9:00-9:20 Welcome; Overview of Acidified Foods

o 9:20-10:15 Microbiology of Thermally Processed Foods

o 10:15-10:25 Break

o 10:25-10:50 Prerequisites for Food Processing (water source and sanitation)

o 10:50-11:40 Principles of Acidified Foods

o 11:40-12:00 Test #1

o 12:00-12:30 Lunch; Discussion

o 12:30-1:10 pH Control and Measurement

o 1:10-2:00 Registration and Filing with FDA

o 2:00-2:30 Principles of Thermal Processing

o 2:30-2:40 Break

o 2:40-3:20 Principles of Thermal Processing (cont.)

o 3:20-4:00 Food Container Handling; Closure of Glass Containers

o 4:00-4:20 Records and Record Keeping

o 4:20-4:40 Test #2

o 4:40-5:00 Q&A and Summary

Dr. Y. Martin Lo, CEO & President of Biointellipro, decided to step away from his 20 years as a faculty at the University of Maryland in 2014 to focus on helping developing countries. He has organized interdisciplinary teams to tackle food safety and ecological issues in different countries, and was invited to speak on “Healthy Cities” at the United Nations headquarters in NYC during December 2017. A food bioprocess engineer by training at the Ohio State University, Dr. Lo’s expertise ranges from intervention for microbial control to recovery of renewable ingredients and assessment of nano-safety. Dr. Lo received the Outstanding Food Safety Research Award from UN Human Health Organization in 2017, and the Presidential Volunteer Service Silver Medals from Presidents Obama and Trump in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He is a Fellow of the World Food Preservation Center, a FDA-recognized Process Authority, the Ambassador of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and the founding Editor-in-Chief for Food Science & Nutrition.

SMADC has provided scholarships (subject to the availability of funds) to assist producers with the cost of training at an approved FDA Better Process Control School Class (BPCS) hosted in Maryland. The SMADC scholarship award is integral to SMADC’s ongoing Acidified Foods initiative to enable increased opportunity for farms to profit through the production of value-added farm products.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be farmers/producers resident and farming in one of the five counties of Southern Maryland (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s counties). For scholarship information, please contact [email protected].

FDA CFR 114 - "Acidified foods means low-acid foods to which acid(s) or acid food(s) are added; these foods include, but are not limited to, beans, cucumbers, cabbage, artichokes, cauliflower, puddings, peppers, tropical fruits, and fish, singly or in any combination. They have a water activity (aw) greater than 0.85 and have a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below. These foods may be called, or may purport to be, ‘‘pickles’’ or ‘‘pickled.’’ Carbonated beverages, jams, jellies, preserves, acid foods (including such foods as standardized and nonstandardized food dressings and condiment sauces) that contain small amounts of low-acid food(s) and have a resultant finished equilibrium pH that does not significantly differ from that of the predominant acid or acid food, and foods that are stored, distributed, and retailed under refrigeration are excluded from the coverage of this part."

You can learn more about the acidified foods licensing process with SMADC's ‘Step by Step Guide’. It contains everything you need to get started, complete with sample forms and important contact information to help you along the way to becoming a licensed on-farm processor of acidified foods.

https://smadc.com/farmer-resources/tutorials/acidified-foods/

Class Instructor - Dr. Y. Martin Lo, CEO & President of Biointellipro, Fellow of the World Food Preservation Center, a FDA-recognized Process Authority, the Ambassador of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and the founding Editor-in-Chief for Food Science & Nutrition.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Prince George's Soil Conservation District, 5301 Marlboro Race Track Road, Upper Marlboro, United States