Cornell Microbial Food Safety, Quality and Outreach Program
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The Cornell Microbial Food Safety, Quality and Outreach Program provides technical expertise and microbiology services for new and established food companies.
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Item Enhancing Juice Safety and Technology Knowledge for Small Producers: A Needs Based Assessment Outreach Activities Initiative in New York StateÇobo, Mario; Curran, Jason; Charles Vegdahl, Ann (2025)Small- to mid-sized juice and beverage producers face unique challenges related to food safety, regulatory compliance, and technical capacity. To better understand these challenges and inform targeted outreach, a need assessment survey was conducted as part of an Extension Outreach and Assessment (EOA) project sponsored by Cornell AgriTech. The 25-question online survey, distributed via extension networks, was completed by 30 producers across New York State, representing a diverse range of businesses, production scales, and distribution strategies. Survey results revealed critical knowledge gaps in areas such as shelf-life determination, non-thermal processing, and regulatory compliance. These findings guided the development of two one-hour webinars focused on product quality and juice safety. Two webinars were conducted "Food Safety and Shelf life Strategies for Small Juice Beverage Producers" and "Safety and Quality in Juice Processing: Validating Non-thermal Processes" , reaching about 120 participants and offering high-impact learning on shelf-life, validation, and non-thermal processing. Attendance data highlighted strong engagement and interest across both sessions. The webinars incorporated live Q&A sessions to enhance engagement and assess learning outcomes. This ongoing project highlights the importance of data-driven outreach and underscores the need for continued support and training tailored to the specific needs of small-scale juice and juice-containing processors.Item Safety and Quality in Juice Processing: Validating Non-thermal ProcessesÇobo, Mario; Curran, Jason; Charles Vegdahl, Ann (2025-05)Item Food Safety and Shelf life Strategies for Small Juice Beverage ProducersÇobo, Mario; Curran, Jason; Charles Vegdahl, Ann (2025-02)