Food Safety Assessment Pilot Program
The Food Safety Assessment Pilot Program, administered by AURI and funded by the MN Department of Agriculture’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, is offering FREE, one-day food safety assessments by a qualified professional — limited to the first 25 businesses.
Open October 13, 2025 – March 31, 2026.
Why Participate?
You’ll receive:
- A review of your food safety policies, procedures, risks, and blind spots
- A written assessment report with action items to reduce your food safety risks
- Expert insights into controls, allergen management, sanitation, supply chain, traceability, record keeping, and compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)
- Connections to technical assistance, training, and resources to strengthen your operations
- A head start on eligibility for future Food Safety Cost Share programs to fund improvements
Who Can Apply?
You must:
- Be located in Minnesota
- Operate a ready-to-scale, licensed food business with a commercial manufacturing space (businesses operating under cottage foods registration are not eligible)
- Be selling food for human consumption…
- That does not contain THC or CBD from hemp ingredients
- Where the primary ingredient is not meat or poultry (i.e., jerky or meat snack sticks)
- Be committed to ensuring the safety of your products
- Be open to investing in improvements (plans, procedures, or equipment) to reduce food safety risk
- Complete a short application and a post-program feedback questionnaire
Access the application here: https://auri.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5dVY5YN64QQ387c)
Intended Outcomes
By the end of the program, you will:
- Have a clear, actionable roadmap to strengthen your food safety practices
- Better understand your regulatory compliance gaps
- Be connected with resources and funding opportunities to address identified needs
- Contribute to shaping a statewide, ongoing food safety support program for Minnesota food businesses
Spots are limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants.
Apply now at: https://auri.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5dVY5YN64QQ387c)
The topic of safety in the production process is of the utmost importance to any entrepreneur or business that is developing food for commercial sales. Foodborne illnesses are a preventable, underreported public health problem, which place a burden on consumers while negatively affecting a company’s sales and brand.
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) offers the following resources to help avoid common food safety issues:
Food Safety Overview
- University of Minnesota Extension Food Safety
- Food Safety Modernization Act
- Foodborne Illnesses
- Processors’ Food Safety Toolkit
Regulatory Compliance — How to Start a Food Business | FDA
How Food Safety is Governed by Federal Agencies
HACCP Resources
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is a systematic preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe, and designs measurements to reduce these risks to a safe level.
- HACCP food safety overview
- Conduct a hazard analysis
- Identify critical control points
- Establish critical limits for each critical control point
- Establish critical control point monitoring requirements
- Establish corrective actions
- Establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended
- Establish record keeping procedures
If you have specific food safety questions, please contact AURI here.