Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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producer profile website, from Papa Weaver's in Orange, Va., to The Naked Pig Co. in Oakboro, N.C. "The biggest next phase for us is to expand our grocery store partnerships and to grow Milton's Local brand of bacon and bacon sausage," he says. At some point soon he's going to seriously look into adding poultry to the roster. Working longer hours now than he ever did as an attorney, Faison tools around to farms, meets with retailers and restaurateurs, and strategizes on sales, marketing, and media. His corporate suits mostly stay back in the closet. "When I have to dress up it feels kind of funny now," he says. "I've never worked so hard in my life, but when it's your own busi- ness, you have an extra level of caring about it. I've developed per- sonal relationships with my farmers. They depend on me and I take that very seriously." Seeing firsthand what a difference it makes for small-scale farmers to find new channels for their high-quality, humanely produced meats and connect with people who are willing to pay a premium to avoid factory-farm practices, has been an interesting, gratifying journey, Faison says. "It's also made me more sympathetic. I was always an advocate for farmers but I have sympathy for con- sumers, too. There's so little we know about food, and as the com- pany has gone through the labeling process it's become clear how important it is to have clear claims that we stand behind." Milton's Local meats are not bargain-priced, ref lecting the true cost of what it takes to support farmers who do not go the industrial route. "Big agriculture is so efficient it's allowed U.S. consumers to pay the least amount of income for food, so we've gotten to a place where food is cheap if you have a lot of scale," he says. "It's crazy to see a restaurant selling a chicken dinner for $2.99 when someone had to grow that chicken, truck it, and process it, the restaurant had to pay people to cook and serve it. It can't be. I know too much about what goes into it to be comfortable with that." Faison thinks often of his beloved grandfather and how he would have gotten a kick out of what he's doing with the farm and how the business is named in his honor. "I feel incredibly blessed to get to do this," he says. "I feel like I've come full circle." Faison adapted his grandfather's bacon recipe, hickory smoking it for eight hours but using no nitrates. Milton's Own Bacon Sausage is a value-added byproduct, a way to use the discarded bacon ends. Julie Besonen writes for The New York Times and is a restaurant columnist for nycgo.com. (continued from p. 29) include every piece of available information, such as ingredients, packaging, storage, and distribution. This f low diagram is the backbone of the hazard analysis, which will be part of the Food Safety Plan. Food Safety Plan Overview The FDA defines a Food Safety Plan as "a set of written documents that is based on food safety principles; incorporates hazard analysis, preventive controls, supply-chain programs, and a recall plan; and delineates the procedures to be followed for monitoring, corrective actions, and verification." The Food Safety Plan involves an approach based on science. First, manufacturers identify the hazards that could potentially occur in the production process, and develop preventive controls that can eliminate these hazards. Manufacturers must then develop parameters that help manage the hazard. Monitoring is needed to make sure these parameters are met. And, finally, companies need a plan for corrective action if unsafe food reaches the food supply. The Food Safety Plan is specific to a facility. There is no required format; it should be organized in a way that takes into consideration systems, employees, and customers while meeting the requirements of the regulations. The plan must be kept up to date, and be organized and accessible for inspection by the FDA. Further Resources Resources for helping to prepare a Food Safety Plan include: • Employees • Consultants and auditors • Process authorities and subject matter experts • University specialists, especially land-grant universities • Government agencies • Trade associations • Suppliers, buyers, and laboratory analysts The completion of the Food Safety Plan is a manufacturer's first step toward complying with the Food Safety Modernization Act. food safety update There is no required format to the Food Safety Plan. It should be organized in a way that takes into consideration systems, employees, and customers while meeting the requirements of the regulations. Ron Tanner is vice president, philanthropy, government, and industry relations for the Specialty Food Association. (continued from p. 50) 68 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com