Machado speaks with BDN about helping farmers meet new federal safety rules

Robson Machado, a food science specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and professor in the School of Food and Agriculture, was interviewed by the Bangor Daily News for the article, “Help available for farmers stressed about new federal safety rules.” Maine farmers who are worried about meeting the mandates imposed by the federal Food Safety Modernization Act shouldn’t panic, according to Machado. “There are ingenious, low-cost solutions for pretty much all of the requirements,” he said. Machado and his UMaine Extension colleagues are offering low-cost training sessions to farmers who want to know how the law will affect them, according to the article. There are going to be five such trainings offered in Maine this coming year, and Machado would love to see more farmers enroll, the article states. “I’m pretty sure there are farmers out there who don’t even know they need to comply,” he said.