Cooperative Extension: Food & Health

Food Safety

The goal of University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Food Safety programs is to ensure a safe food supply while reducing foodborne illness risks by teaching proper sanitation, food preservation, and food-handling practices. To achieve this goal, UMaine Extension educators, specialists, and professionals conduct a variety of programs for Maine citizens and food businesses:

Programs for the General Public

• Cooking for Crowds
• Food Preservation
• Maine Harvest for Hunger

Programs for Maine Food Businesses

Sanitation

• General industry-wide sanitation 101: contact Theresa Tilton at theresa.tilton@maine.edu or 207.942.7396
• Dairy Sanitation: contact Melissa Libby at melissa.libby1@maine.edu or 207.581.2788

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Certification

• Meat and Poultry: contact Theresa Tilton at theresa.tilton@maine.edu or 207.942.7396
• Seafood: contact Melissa Libby at melissa.libby1@maine.edu or 207.581.2788

Better Process Control School

Acidified and low-acid canned food processors are required by the FDA and USDA to obtain Better Process Control School certification. Contact Melissa Libby at melissa.libby1@maine.edu or 207.581.2788.

Additional Food Safety Resources

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts (FDA): check on recent food recalls
• Maine Center for Disease Control
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
• Introduction and application of integrated pest management to promote proper pesticide use
• Maine FoodCorps
• Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
• Farmers Market

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Image Description: University of Maine Students in Food Science Lab, Hitchner Hall; photo by Edwin Remsberg, USDA