By Joan Vibert

A recent discussion about commercial kitchens on the market-farming email list made me realize that there is a lot of interest in the subject. Excellent questions were raised, and good, valid answers began coming in from all over the country. It soon became apparent that there are few correct answers that serve all of us.
So I began to consider what I would do, given the advantage of my experience, if I were just now beginning to plan for a commercial kitchen. Regardless of what you plan to produce from your kitchen, the guidelines for cleanliness seem to be pretty universal. So let’s begin there.
Your starting point should be as local as possible. Place a call to either your county or city health department. Chances are these will be the people you will be working with so don’t start out bypassing them. They will probably direct you to the state health department food facility inspector who is responsible for your area, if the state has jurisdiction over the county. As you talk to people be sure to get their names and ask for any printed information they can provide.
The next step should be to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center For Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) website: cfsan.gda.gov/~comm/foodbiz.html. This is a section titled “Starting a Food Business” and covers a wealth of information. This includes links to Federal, State, and Local Food Regulatory Agencies; and Food Law and Regulations: Obtaining the Food Laws and Regulations. Among the selected food topics is a PDF file for the Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food (GMPs); a food labeling guide, and information on low acid canned foods and acidified foods.
For more in-depth information on some of these subjects you can go to the CFSAN home page: cfsan.fda.gov/list.html The FDA web site alone could keep you busy for days. If you want to get in touch with the FDA by telephone call: 1-888-463-6332.
Now that you are armed with this good information you will need to determine what you will be producing from your kitchen. If you are considering production of a single item or type of item, let’s say canned salsas, then you will need to fully investigate the requirements surrounding a thermal processed food. The process is spelled out in the GMPs guidelines that include washing the produce and containers, acidifying the product, and cooking and holding temperatures.
For actual step-by-step guidelines your county extension office will be able to direct you to your state Cooperative Extension Service. They will work with you to determine that your salsa is acid enough, give you canning options such as hot packing or water bath, provide nutrition information, if you desire, and work with you on your labeling. This all comes at a cost but that cost outweighs the risk of a poorly planned product that could cause illness later on.
If you are considering a low-acid food such as a soup then you will need to be certified by the FDA as a Canning Supervisor through the Better Processing Control School. These training sessions are run several times a year and, again, the state extension people can help you find that training.
If, however, you are not producing shelf-stable food products, like canned salsa or soup and instead want to create a line of baked goods, for instance, your requirements are somewhat easier. The state inspectors won’t have to worry about keeping muffins or cookies at a safe temperature. For the most part baked items are the safest, most easily permitted foods to produce from a commercial kitchen. Be sure to ask your inspector about packaging and labeling of these items
If your kitchen is intended for a range of items, as is ours, you probably need to make a list of potential products. Think about those overages in the middle of summer for products like gazpacho; scant times in early spring for products like fresh salad dressings; jams and jellies when the fruit is ripe; and even, in some areas, cut vegetables for salad mixes or sampling. Go over this list with your inspector and make sure these are items with which you both feel comfortable. As long as you can demonstrate that these items can be safely prepared in your commercial kitchen AND safely transported and held at the correct temperature at the place of sale you will be okay. Your state inspector will be glad to go over these requirements and explain what is required to show that you can satisfy them. Just remember these folks aren’t out to make your life miserable and stop your plans, they exist to keep all of us safe and healthy.
A good publication for those considering a “product” as opposed to the spur-of-the-moment range of items is from ATTRA. The title is Adding Value To Farm Products: An Overview by Janet Bachmann and it is full of good information and resources. You can download this online by going to http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/valueovr.pdf or call ATTRA at 1-800-346-9140 and ask them to mail it to you.

Joan Vibert grows vegetables and makes value-added products from Windwalker Farm in Ottawa, Kansas. She enjoys hearing from other growers about processing, and can be emailed at joan@windwalker-farm.com.