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  Welcome to our, I think this is our fourth virtual Q&A
  for the Making Food at Home to Sell series.
  This topic focus for today is when to reach out for help
  with home-based food production.
  Again, there's many steps in the process
  of sort of thinking about if you want to start
  a home-based food business.
  You might be someone who already has
  a home-based food business,
  but we wanted to point out a few times
  and the process from conceptualization
  all the way through potentially scaling up
  if that's what you want to do,
  where you might consider reaching out for help.
  Or just to have questions addressed if you have any.
  My name is Nicole, I'm an assistant professor
  in food safety field specialists here at Ohio State.
  We also have Katie with us
  who is at George Washington University.
  If you've been on these Q&As before,
  you know she's been exceptionally helpful
  because she was a previous inspector
  with the Ohio Department of Ag
  that entity inspects home-based food operations.
  So she is our, she's great to have in our pocket
  to help us to clarify any and all questions that you have.
  We also have Emily who has helped behind the scenes
  on some of the content.
  Emily is also an assistant professor
  but is also a FCS educator in Coshocton County.
  And then we have Laura in the background.
  Laura is who you receive the Zoom information from.
  She also sends out a fantastic recap
  usually the day of or a couple of days
  after these virtual Q&As occur and very thankful for that.
  They're pretty, they have the recording,
  they have all of the links
  that we had talked about during the virtual Q&A.
  And we will do that again
  because I think that what will come out
  of today's presentation is a lot of
  this is who you should go to type information.
  And so if it's not fully captured on the slides
  we will also be sending out links to.
  A quick plug for if you have not attended
  previous virtual Q&As or if you have not watched
  the recording of previous virtual Q&As
  really our first one in July
  was very, very, very foundational
  of what is a cottage food, what is a home bakery
  and what foods fall underneath there.
  And we find that this is probably
  the majority of questions that we get.
  So if you haven't gone back and watched that, please do.
  In August, we tackled who can be an individual
  who produces food in their home.
  I thought there was a lot of good content there
  that I really hadn't thought about.
  So even if you don't think that that's pertinent to you
  we got a lot of questions about,
  what if I have roommates?
  What if I have another live-in person
  and how does that affect whether I qualify
  to be a home food producer?
  In September, we talked about where you can
  and cannot sell home-based food products.
  And then just a note, because I know that we're having
  this October one a little bit later than we normally do.
  We're gonna kind of turn it upside down
  and for our November one,
  and this will be the last one in 2024.
  It's kind of a quick turnaround time.
  And November 14th, it's always a Thursday,
  but I think it's probably the second Thursday
  in November, Katie, you'll have to check me on that.
  We are talking about considerations
  for holiday food production.
  Having that a little bit earlier
  because we wanna make sure that folks do have ample time
  before the holiday season.
  And Laura put her information in the chat
  in case you didn't register for previous virtual Q and A's
  but you would still like to have that information.
  You can email her and she'll get you connected
  to those recordings.
  Very quick, friendly reminders.
  This content is really specific
  to home-based food production in the state of Ohio.
  As I always say, if you are not located in Ohio,
  that's totally okay, you're still welcome here.
  We're not gonna kick you out,
  but you have to know that in another state
  and it could even be a neighboring state,
  those cottage food roles are going to be different.
  Sometimes they are slightly different.
  And in my opinion,
  sometimes I think that they can be vastly different as well.
  And then also another quick plug,
  the content that it's a part of these virtual Q and A's,
  all of this is possible because of a grant
  that was funded by USDA that focuses really
  on the food safety aspects and technical assistant
  of home-based food producers.
  And that eventually we have the goal
  of producing an online course
  that will help folks really walk through some
  of the things that we talk about on these virtual Q and A's
  a little bit more in detail.
  So for example, later on in the presentation,
  we mentioned what happens if you have baked
  with an ingredient that then is part of a food recall.
  Right now, food recalls are a real hot topic in the media.
  Where we've had a lot of Listeria recalls lately.
  And we can give you some basic guidance,
  but I really don't think that there's great resources
  out there on what you should do.
  So we're hoping to have that type
  of information in that course.
  So back to our central question,
  when should I reach out for help
  with home-produced food products?
  And again, we're not sharing these kind of time points
  and suggestions for reaching out.
  We're not saying that you must reach out to someone
  at all of these crossroads.
  These are just suggestions to get you thinking
  about when should I reach out and who would that entity
  or who would that person be
  if I think that I need additional support.
  Again, this is very foundational,
  but we always want you to reach out
  when you're unsure of which products
  can be home food produced or can be produced in the home.
  And with that, if you have any questions
  about which products fall under which umbrella.
  So is this a food that is going to be
  under Cottage Foods in Ohio,
  or is this a food product that is going to fall
  under that home bakery that's gonna require that license,
  that's gonna require that inspection.
  That is absolutely foundational information
  that you need to know before you can progress.
  Determining what products you're going to make
  and if they are allowed and what category they fall in
  is a really great first step.
  And again, we have that recording,
  the Making Food at Home to Sell recording
  that Laura can link you to.
  We also have a few other resources available.
  This is a law bulletin from Emily Marrison,
  who's part of this grant team, as well as Peggy Hall.
  We're gonna mention Peggy a little bit later too.
  She's our Ag Law Specialist.
  The two of them have done some awesome work
  on Cottage Foods and have a few one, two pagers
  that are available publicly online
  that helps to walk through
  which products fall into what category.
  And she's kind of nice because we know that ODA
  has some of these resources on their website,
  but sometimes it's nice to receive information
  in a little bit of a different way.
  So we will put links to these as well.
  So this is me saying that a first step would be
  go back, look through these resources
  and try to determine those previous questions
  on your own first.
  And if you still have questions,
  you are always more than welcome to contact OSU Extension.
  And who I mean by that, because OSU Extension is massive.
  There's a lot of people.
  Personally, I wouldn't go directly to a county educator
  if you have an advanced question
  about what is or isn't a cottage food.
  When I say OSU Extension,
  I'm really talking about the team members here.
  Reach out to me.
  You can reach out to Laura and she'll send you to me.
  You can reach out to Emily who has a lot of experience
  answering these questions.
  And maybe a few other folks at the university as well,
  like I mentioned, Peggy,
  but you're welcome to come to us first,
  see if we can answer,
  but ultimately ODA is going to be the individual,
  or it's going to be the entity
  that our group reaches out to.
  If we have questions or unsure where a product falls,
  or if it's allowed in a home setting,
  they're going to be the ones
  that have the final decision on that.
  And I have on the right-hand side of the slide,
  this is a screenshot from ODA's website.
  It does say see home bakery requirements.
  However, this phone number,
  as well as this email address
  is also pertinent for cottage foods.
  There is a cottage foods page
  that stands alone on the ODA website,
  and there's also a home bakery website
  that stands alone on ODA's website.
  And those are normally sent out
  with the recordings as well.
  Katie, anything to add to?
  Nope.
  Again, if we can't answer it as a team,
  we usually reach out to ODA
  and we'll ask them just so we have the answer as well,
  but we may send you to ODA just so you have the answer.
  Or if you have a very specific question
  that we just are unable to answer
  or can't get an answer from ODA ourselves,
  don't feel as though we're just pushing you off onto them.
  That's just very specific and they are the end-all be-all.
  So we'd rather get it right
  than have you end up frustrated.
  So, yeah.
  And anyone can use that food safety email address.
  We know some of the people
  who are behind that email address at ODA
  and they're fantastic.
  My experience is that they are usually pretty quick
  with responsiveness.
  We also want to encourage you to reach out
  if you have any questions about your label.
  What we don't want you to do
  is to start printing off a label,
  several labels prematurely.
  There are several steps that need to occur
  prior to you printing off a label
  that's ready to go on product.
  And this on the slide is an example
  from Emily and Peggy's law bulletin that I really like,
  our Brutus' Peanut Butter Fudge.
  So an example of a label that meets
  all of the requirements for home-produced food labels.
  And very similarly to the questions before,
  there are several resources out there
  for you to attempt to tackle this on your own.
  Again, that law bulletin from Emily and Peggy
  where that label example came from.
  And then additionally on ODA's website,
  again, this is a screenshot directly from their website.
  I think it's up in the top right-hand corner.
  And if you click download,
  there's a fact sheet that pops up.
  It is not pretty.
  It is very text heavy and it's black and white,
  but it has a lot of really great information,
  especially as it relates to the label.
  And keep in mind, the label is a requirement.
  You have to have this label.
  And very similarly, you can reach out to us
  if it's not too much of a in the weeds question,
  we're more than happy to help attempt answer that.
  And then ultimately ODA is the one who says yay or nay
  when it comes to that product label.
  And really quick, I'm gonna jump in here, Nicole.
  Make sure if you are doing a home bakery or a cottage food
  that you click on the right document
  because there are different labeling requirements
  for cottage food versus home bakery.
  So don't assume that if you click on cottage foods
  that you'll be ready to go for home bakery.
  So just make sure.
  Cottage food has its own little tab.
  Home bakery has its own little tab.
  And if you don't know which one you're gonna fall under,
  click on both and they will tell you
  what you can make, what you can't make under each.
  And that will help give you some guidelines.
  And then on the backside of that document
  will give you the specifics of how your label should look.
  So I just wanted to call out
  that there are very minor differences
  but very obvious differences between both.
  So just make sure you're clicking on the correct link
  and downloading the correct label requirements.
  And Katie and I, we conversed this morning
  and she made a really good point
  that it's not just ODA when you reach out,
  they're the ones to say yay or nay.
  Ultimately, they have to approve,
  like officially approve that label.
  And this occurs prior to any sort of food production.
  You might want to consider reaching out
  when you're preparing your home for production.
  I said production intentionally and not inspection
  because really I'm focusing on the cottage food aspect here.
  Again, cottage food, you're not having an inspection,
  you're not required to.
  So really it is up to you to make sure
  that your home kitchen is in a place
  where you are ready to produce food.
  So I have this picture of this kitty cat on the counter
  for home bakery operations.
  We know pets are not allowed
  but for a cottage food operation, you can have pets.
  I know it's hard to keep your pets
  from doing what they want to do,
  but you have to have some sort of parameters.
  For instance, if you have this little kitty in your house
  to ensure that they're not jumping up on food surfaces
  that you're gonna be producing on.
  And then same with dishes in the sink.
  Some of these might seem really basic
  but you're having to almost rethink the way
  that you are truly like operating your home kitchen.
  Your home kitchen is now a production space in some ways.
  In addition to prepping your kitchen,
  you also may want to reach out when you're preparing
  not just for, again, is my kitchen clean
  but for the actual inspection with a home bakery.
  And you can see, I have my little thermometer there.
  You're required to have a thermometer for that inspection.
  There are several resources available
  that can help you to achieve
  ensuring that you are ready to go.
  If you are going to produce a cottage food,
  again, this is really up to you.
  This isn't a requirement, but we have a,
  it's almost like a home kitchen audit.
  If you have some sort of audit
  that's for an actual manufacturing environment,
  that might not translate well for the home kitchen space.
  So there is this document out there.
  This is just a snippet of it that we can send
  with the recording or if you reach out
  that just gives some basics of things to think through
  before you start food production in your home.
  So thinking about countertops,
  do you have the right cleaning and sanitizing solutions?
  Things like, I would say preparation equipment
  that is safe, that is good quality as well.
  So maybe you don't want to be using those cutting boards
  and I'm going to call myself out right now.
  Maybe you don't want to be using the cutting boards
  that have knife marks from probably a few years
  of cutting things on there.
  So ensuring that it's not just the kitchen itself,
  but also the utensils that will be used
  in the production process.
  Maybe just basic things for cleanliness.
  I like this one, it says that the garbage is covered.
  So does your garbage can have a lid on it?
  That would be something that you might want to consider.
  And then on the actual official inspection side,
  this is from the ODA website.
  There are certain requirements that have to be met
  that they will be looking for prior to that inspection.
  And I think that Katie's mentioned some of these
  on other virtual Q&As.
  You have to have that water test if you're on well water,
  or if not, you have to have a utility bill
  to show ODA, the thermometer.
  You can see some of the other requirements
  listed on the PowerPoint slide.
  So when ODAs, when you invite them to come
  to your home kitchen, I mean, it's go time.
  It's not, I'm going to start cleaning things up.
  It has to be ready to go.
  Katie, anything to add to that?
  No, like Nicole said.
  So when you finally get to that step where the inspector,
  you have your date and your time scheduled
  and your inspector is getting ready to show up,
  everything has to meet those requirements
  that are listed on their documents,
  on their reference sheets.
  If at any point in time you don't meet that,
  they won't give you your license.
  And then it'll take you another three to four weeks
  to schedule a new inspection.
  And that's three to four weeks
  as being very generous on their schedule.
  So just be prepared that when that inspector is there,
  everything that needs to be in place has to be in place.
  Otherwise they can walk away and say,
  you won't get your license.
  The inspector being there is not a guarantee
  that you'll get your license.
  And I see some questions and comments in the chat
  that I just want to highlight verbally
  because I think they're really important.
  And I know it's so confusing.
  It's like, what is or isn't allowed
  in a cottage food operation versus a home bakery?
  And we kind of go back and forth,
  but these are very important aspects
  of differentiating the two.
  So cottage food operation, you can have pets.
  Yep, pets can be in the home.
  Home bakery, you cannot have pets.
  Okay, don't kick your pet out though.
  And then Katie, thanks for clarifying
  that if you have a cottage food operation,
  yes, your products still need to be labeled,
  but no, ODA does not have to quote unquote approve,
  you're not sending in your label for cottage foods.
  However, if there are any issues or product gets pulled,
  ODA is going to look for that label.
  And then on the flip, Katie, go ahead.
  No, and I don't want you to think
  that ODA inspectors are out there searching every farm,
  market, farmer's market, coffee shop.
  We're not, but we're also humans
  and we do go to farmer's markets on our own
  and we may pull one and just looking at the ingredients
  and asking questions or some, you know,
  people are always very forthcoming with information
  about where they produce something or how they produce it.
  So we will look and then if there is an issue,
  we'll either contact you if we're the inspector
  for that area or ODA themselves will call you
  and just say, hey, there's an inspection coming out
  or they may just drop by unannounced too.
  If they have the proper information.
  So again, ODA does not go scouring the countryside
  looking for improper labels.
  Again, nine times out of 10, we will not,
  we don't like to pop out and go, hey, there's an issue.
  But if it is called in or documented or observed,
  we will have to come out.
  So that's why we try to tell everybody
  and get everybody as prepared as possible
  with these text heavy fact sheets
  so that this way you can hopefully eliminate
  the ODA visits if you're a cottage foods
  or in a home bakery as well.
  And in my opinion, the label is, it's not a big ask.
  The information that's required is pretty basic
  in my opinion.
  You're not required to have a full nutrition facts panel.
  So the nutrition facts like you see
  on a package box of crackers, that's not required
  but there is essential information
  that the consumer needs to know about that product.
  So who to contact if something were to go wrong.
  Things like, and Katie,
  I'm probably gonna get the statement wrong.
  So this is not the statement that's required verbatim
  but this has been produced in a home environment,
  in a home kitchen space.
  And that information is essential
  because the consumer is able to evaluate
  their own level of risks that they're comfortable with
  if this has been produced in a home kitchen.
  And that goes back to the labeling differentiations.
  One, cottage food is required to state
  this product is home produced where home bakeries are not.
  And that one simple statement, it's easy to identify
  but then again, that's also very easy.
  It's easy for inspectors to identify
  but it's also easy for consumers to identify,
  to understand that, hey, there may have been a cat
  on that counter after it had just been in a litter box.
  Is that a risk I wanna take or do I not?
  So that's why they're asking for things
  to be put into place like that.
  Let me see.
  Yes, so Maggie, I will chat your,
  I'll respond back to your question.
  You will also want to reach out when something goes wrong,
  when something goes awry.
  And we have a few different scenarios
  on the PowerPoint slide.
  The first one being, if you see something suspicious
  and I struggle with this one a little bit
  because like Katie mentioned,
  ODA is not lurking out to get people
  but ultimately it is their job to protect Ohioans
  and the general public.
  And so when I say you might wanna reach out
  if you see something suspicious,
  I'm not asking all of us to be tattletales of,
  hey, I was at the farmer's market
  and we're really picking on the farmer's market today.
  So at the farmer's market
  and I saw someone selling something that they shouldn't
  that was clearly home produced.
  Maybe someone was selling salsa
  and we know in Ohio, you cannot produce salsa in your home
  with the intention to sell it.
  So we're not in any way, shape or form
  asking folks to go seek out people
  that are not following cottage food and home bakery rules.
  We're just saying, if you see something
  that could potentially harm someone,
  then yeah, you should reach out.
  Ultimately our goal is to protect people here.
  That's why we have food regulations
  and especially with cottage foods,
  we try to limit the number of regulations
  and things that a producer has to comply with
  because it's expensive and because it takes time
  and because profits are probably not nearly going to be
  as high as product made in a larger scale
  at a manufacturing facility.
  But that's not to say that we don't want folks
  to abuse that system and get someone ill.
  Also another scenario is if you bake or making a product
  and then you realize that one of the ingredients
  were a part of a recall.
  Again, personally, I don't think
  that there's a lot of great information out there
  about what a producer, especially a small producer,
  a home producer should do in that scenario
  because there are some actions that you would need to take.
  And then also if someone gets sick from your product
  or you get sick from someone else's home produced product,
  a lot of times we don't know,
  I mean, just from a realistic standpoint,
  what we have fallen ill from.
  I mean, sometimes we can't recall the things
  that we consumed in the last 24, 48, 72 hours.
  And it can be difficult to link an illness
  directly to a food product.
  And this is just the food scientists and me speaking
  that a lot of times the symptoms
  from a foodborne illness that we're experiencing,
  they're not generally immediate.
  There might be this 48 to 72 hour lag period.
  So what we just ate is oftentimes not likely
  the food item that made us sick.
  I don't know if that's common knowledge,
  but again, it's hard to know
  exactly what food item made you sick.
  But what I will say from a public health standpoint,
  it is always helpful for us to know.
  And when I say us,
  I'm really talking about your local health department
  and we'll talk a little bit about
  who to contact on the next slide.
  But it's helpful to know if there are people getting sick
  and it's thought to be from food.
  Because even that little piece of information is helpful
  if it is a part of a larger outbreak,
  meaning multiple people are getting sick
  from the same source,
  in order to put those puzzle pieces together.
  I mean, it literally is almost like a puzzle,
  just taking little bits of information
  and seeing if they might be connected.
  So even if you don't know what you got sick from
  and you might suspect something,
  sharing that information with a public health employee
  is oftentimes helpful.
  And really quick, Nicole,
  before you jump to this or to the next slide,
  Maggie, your question about allergens
  is actually a little bit pertinent
  to when something goes wrong.
  So although you are not required to put allergens
  on your label per ODA regulations,
  it's a little bit of a best practice.
  Because if the flower that gets recalled
  because of a nut allergy or something of that nature,
  although that allergy wouldn't be on your label,
  it's the same concept.
  If something needs to get recalled
  or if somebody gets sick because they ate your product,
  then you need to know what it was.
  You need to make sure that
  it's addressed properly on your label.
  And again, it's best practices
  to put your allergens on there,
  but it is not required,
  but it will go back to could something go wrong
  if someone eats your food?
  And ultimately at the end of the day,
  we wanna make sure that whoever consumes your food
  enjoys it and doesn't end up sick or having a reaction.
  So because we have had people where that has happened,
  where the brownie label was put on wrong
  and it should have been a peanut butter brownie
  instead of a regular brownie
  and someone got sick because they had a peanut allergy.
  Thankfully, it wasn't a huge reaction
  and it wasn't a detrimental reaction,
  but it was still a reaction.
  So it's best practice to put that on there,
  but again, not required because if something goes wrong,
  then you wanna make sure,
  hey, this is what I have.
  These are the records I have.
  This is what happened.
  And on the flip side, if something happens to you all,
  hopefully it doesn't,
  you can notify your public health.
  County or professionals.
  And this might be a little in the weeds,
  but Maggie, I'm just looking at your question
  about may contain statements.
  So those are a little bit different
  than listing the actual allergens out.
  So those may contain statements are called PALS.
  So precautionary allergen labeling statements.
  And I'm gonna be completely honest
  that even at the larger scale,
  like the manufacturing scale,
  we don't have all that worked out.
  We don't have a great system of sharing information
  with consumers on a product label
  about whether that product has come into contact
  or may contain a food allergen in any way, shape or form.
  And there's a lot of different language
  that manufacturers can use.
  That's a really hot topic
  in the sort of food safety world right now.
  So I'm not so much worried about may contain statements
  as I am about listing out the major food allergens.
  And we have nine of them now with Sesame.
  If you are using, let's say a piece of equipment
  for let's say dinners that you make for your family
  and then you're using that same piece of equipment
  for your business production,
  I think that that's a different conversation.
  You would need to have ample cleaning
  and sanitation measures in place in between.
  But I like that you're thinking
  about sharing information with people
  so that they can make their own informed decision.
  In the scenario of seeing something
  that is maybe suspicious or might be harmful,
  I think a good first step is maybe reaching out
  to the point of contact of where that food was sold.
  So we've been using the farmer's market example.
  You can always reach out
  to the farmer's market manager, director
  and see what their thoughts are first before going to ODA.
  And then if you have made product with ingredients
  that have been recalled,
  I think that that would be a great time to go to ODA
  for them to help you navigate that situation.
  And if we're talking about any sort of illness
  from a home produced food product, you can go to ODA.
  I think it would be good information for them to have.
  And then they might direct you to a local health department.
  And we only say that not
  because the local health department
  is regulating home-based foods,
  but really the local health department is that entity
  that's helping to track food related illnesses.
  You're going to need to reach out
  when you're ready for an inspection.
  And Katie, what was the timeframe,
  that turnaround time that you mentioned?
  So it's about three to four weeks.
  And that is when your label is ready to go.
  That's the go time period.
  So a lot of this will depend on,
  and Nicole's flipped to the next screen.
  So you click on the request for inspection form online
  and you'll fill this out.
  That will go to our main office.
  They will then send that out to the inspector in your area
  because every area and region has different inspectors.
  Then that inspector will contact you and say,
  I heard we've received your form
  that you are requesting an inspection.
  Please send me your label.
  And here are the list of requirements
  that I will be looking at.
  Honestly, they will probably send you the fact sheet
  just to make sure that you have everything else in place.
  And then from there,
  the timing can be a little bit variable.
  If there are a lot of labeling changes that have to be made,
  or if there are additional requirements
  or additional questions that the inspector has for you,
  the back and forth time can make that three to four weeks
  extend out a little bit longer.
  Again, it just depends on the quickness
  in getting changes made and responses given.
  And then around three to four weeks
  post their initial response or reach out to you.
  It'll take about,
  and it usually takes about a month out
  for scheduling inspections.
  You may also consider reaching out
  when you need additional support.
  Just keeping in mind what this team's area of expertise is.
  So my training and Emily's training are as food scientists,
  Katie inspection.
  So we're really,
  this team is there to help you navigate all the rules,
  all the regulations, how do I comply?
  And then also food safety steps.
  If someone asked me about marketing,
  I'm gonna say, gotta go somewhere else.
  But the great thing is that we have so many resources
  at Ohio State and also externally.
  And we're gonna talk a little bit about them.
  And I see a comment in the chat about insurance.
  And that's a perfect question
  as it relates to this slide here of,
  if you feel like you need a business plan
  or if you have questions about the financial aspects,
  marketing and then legal, or it's a great question.
  Do I need insurance for my business?
  I'm definitely not the best person
  to ask those questions to,
  but we're gonna help you find the people who are.
  And I know that this slide is very, very text heavy,
  but I just wanted to have a lot of good information
  available to you.
  Again, I asked about where folks were located in the state,
  just so I could get an idea of where people were coming from
  because a lot of these,
  we're gonna call them food business centers.
  They are regional sort of hubs.
  And before I provide any sort of additional info
  for the four that I have listed,
  please know that they're all different from each other.
  They do not all offer the same types of services,
  products, information, et cetera.
  So this is just an overview of ones
  that I am familiar with.
  We have SIFT, the Center for Innovative Food Technology.
  I think that SIFT is really about implementing new science,
  new technology for your food products.
  So that may or may not be a good fit.
  ACENET, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks.
  I actually met with some of these folks last week
  and they were delightful.
  They're located in Athens, Ohio.
  And I should mention SIFT I think is in Toledo,
  the Toledo area.
  We also have the NEO AIC.
  This is new.
  It's the Northeast Ag Innovation Center.
  I'm actually a part of this entity.
  It is brand spanking new.
  It's grant funded.
  As of right now, it's not a physical entity
  that you can go to.
  SIFT is actually a company with people.
  You can go there.
  Same with ACENET.
  There's a physical location.
  The Northeast Ag Innovation Center.
  The folks are kind of spread out throughout the state,
  but are primarily located in Worcester
  at the Ohio State campus, Worcester campus.
  And this is primarily for folks
  who are wanting to do value added ag.
  So there are a few more requirements to use their services.
  So just giving you an example
  of how we're defining value added ag.
  If you are growing your product
  or raising your product in any way,
  and then creating a value added product,
  then you would qualify.
  So if you are someone who grows pumpkins,
  and then you wanna make a pumpkin pie,
  you are able to use those services.
  There are also some regional requirements.
  I'm happy to share those with you
  if you think that you might be
  within that Northeast region of Ohio.
  But the good thing about the NEO AIC
  is that currently all the services are free.
  Don't have to pay for anything.
  You can just meet with a team
  and ask us any and all questions.
  And then there's also the South Centers
  there in Piketon, Ohio.
  The picture that I have on the right,
  this is their center.
  It's actually a university building,
  and they are known to help small businesses as well.
  So those first two listed are external resources.
  The NEO AIC and South Centers
  are Ohio State-based entities.
  Again, if any of these sound like they might be helpful,
  and you just kinda wanna hash it out,
  what do these entities offer?
  Would this be a good fit for me?
  Feel free to reach out to me,
  and we can have that discussion
  if you're not ready to go directly to them.
  Folks like, or entities like ACENET,
  there is normally a fee to meet with them,
  but then that fee can then be utilized
  for other products and services
  if you choose to work with them.
  And then I'm totally unaware
  as to whether the South Centers charges for their services,
  but just something to think about
  as if you're ready to invest financially
  in having someone assist with these matters.
  I also put Peggy Hall's information down there.
  Again, she's our Ag Law field specialist with an extension,
  and she's fantastic and great to work with.
  And she's been really helpful
  when folks have legal questions.
  And maybe she'll hate me
  for putting her information directly out here,
  but I think if she cannot help you,
  she will be glad to send you to someone else.
  She's very friendly, she's great.
  Feel free to utilize her as a resource.
  And she was the one that with Emily
  had created those law bulletins
  about cottage food and home bakery operations
  that really up until this point
  have been some of the only cottage food
  and home bakery resources that Ohio State has had.
  So gotta give kudos to them.
  And then lastly, you may want to consider reaching out.
  I shouldn't just say when you're ready to scale up,
  but also keeping in mind if you wanna scale up.
  Because sometimes I do think that there's this pressure
  that you must continue to build your business larger,
  more production, et cetera.
  And especially for a home food producer,
  maybe that's not what you want to do.
  And please know that this team is not here
  to push you in that direction
  if that's not the direction that you wanna head.
  Again, we know that a lot of people do home food production
  because it might not be a full-time business.
  Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
  Just acknowledging that everybody has different needs.
  One way to take sort of that next step
  would be going from a cottage food operation
  to a home bakery.
  That is a step.
  Now you are in inspected home facility.
  You may also want to consider utilizing
  shared use facilities if you outgrow your home kitchen space
  but are not ready to,
  I mean, having your own manufacturing facility,
  that's like big, big, right?
  So maybe these intermediate steps of,
  I know sometimes they call them ghost kitchens, food hubs,
  sort of catch all term shared use facilities.
  You can reach out to us,
  but I know that we will probably send you to another partner
  if you are interested in scaling up,
  unless it's going from cottage food to home bakery.
  You could reach out to ODA.
  I don't know what information that they will provide you with
  but you can certainly ask them
  if they have a list of shared use facilities in Ohio
  because currently we don't have that list.
  But also SIFT and ACENET that were mentioned before,
  not only do they have different services like marketing,
  hey, I need a label, can someone help me create that?
  But they also have these physical spaces
  where people can make their product in.
  SIFT, their facility is called NOC.
  And I think it is at a different location
  than Toledo, I believe.
  Katie, you'll have to look
  and let me know if I'm right with that.
  And ACENET does have an actual facility in Athens,
  but my understanding is there's also some space
  in Nelsonville.
  And we share this because you could continue
  to make a product that falls under the cottage food
  or home bakery umbrella in these facilities.
  I mean, that would no longer make you
  a cottage food or home bakery operator.
  That doesn't mean that you necessarily
  have to change your product,
  but also for folks,
  and this is just because we've gone back
  and looked at some of the questions
  that folks have sent along with their registration.
  If you're someone who wants to make a food product,
  and I'll pick on salsa again,
  that cannot be made in a home kitchen setting,
  then you might think about going to these entities
  and using their spaces.
  I don't know about you,
  but I'm not interested in functioning
  as a cannery myself,
  but there are these, again, intermediate spaces
  that can assist, that have area spaces
  that likely have already been inspected,
  that are licensed.
  Okay, and with that,
  even though we've already gotten a lot
  of really great questions.
  Oh, I see, not kitchen, located in Perrysburg, Ohio.
  Thank you, Susan.
  I appreciate that.
  So yeah, their shared kitchen space
  is located in Perrysburg, so near Toledo.
  Thank you.
  Okay, with that, I think we will stop, pause,
  and turn it over to open it up to more.