Title: Reading
Course: WVA 104 Sauces, Condiments & Dressings > Section: WVA 104 Sauces, Condiments & Dressings

Reading

(1/2)
Packaging and Storage For Food Entrepreneurs

In this reading assignment, students are asked to read and review the importance of packaging to protect the consumer while examining factors that contribute to the successful sale of a packaged food product. In the article Packaging, Labeling, & Branding Products, a resource guide for food entrepreneurs, the University of Wisconsin explains that packaging and proper labeling are two of the greatest influences on consumer decisions to purchase a new food product. Students are asked to read and review with a focus on utilizing this information to develop their individual food products for the value-added food marketplace. Please consider:
- What are the appropriate amounts in which you will sell the product (these may be based on adequate portion sizes, competitors' offerings or customer preferences)?

- What is the volume and weight of the product?

- What are the physical packaging attributes that help the customer use the product?

- What protective needs, including shipping and handling factors are required in the production of the food product to be developed?

- Is the shape of the packaging appropriate to its use, for esthetics, efficient shipping, stocking/storage and legal requirements?

At the FDA website, under the heading How to Start a Food Business, students are asked to examine the various regulations related to food manufacturing standards. Please read the following materials:

- Introduction
- Food Businesses Subject to FDA Regulation
- Food Facility Registration
- Record keeping
- Good Manufacturing Practice Requirements
- Labeling
- Reporting
- Preventive Controls
- Inspections
- Additional Information
  - Responsibility of a Food Facility
  - Specific Food Product Requirements

In the document by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, students will read Understanding Good Manufacturing Practices for Sauces and Dressings. According to the article, many entrepreneurs initially enter the food manufacturing industry by producing sauces and dressings. In reading this material, it is important for students to understand the basic scientific principles necessary to provide consumers with safe and high quality foods. Please read and review the scientific principles and manufacturing practices explained in the document.

Click here to access Packaging Guide from the University of Wisconsin Extension Agricultural Innovation Center.
Click here to access the Overview of Requirements for a Food Business webpage from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.
Click here to access Understanding GMPs for Sauces and Dressings article from the University of Nebraska Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.