COLUMBUS — The new Food Business Central online course offered by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences can help equip entrepreneurs with the knowledge and strategies to launch a successful farm-raised or home-based food business in Ohio.
Created by Ohio State University Extension educators and specialists in family and consumer sciences, the online course is designed to serve as a centralized hub to connect participants to information and resources regarding all types of food products they might want to make and sell, according to Emily Marrison, OSU Extension educator, FCS and course development team member.
The self-paced course contains 10 modules — five of which focus on Ohio food laws, food safety basics, legal startup and insurance and marketing and economics. The other five modules focus on foods including cottage foods and baked goods, canned foods, meat, poultry, eggs and other foods such as beverages, dairy products, syrups and more.
The course development was partially funded through a grant from North Central Extension Risk Management Education through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop resources that help farmers and ranchers effectively manage risk in their operations.
The course costs $25. Registration is available at go.osu.edu/foodbusinesscentral.
