Food Business | NC State Extension

Online Request Form Online Acidified Foods Manufacturing School Tools for Success

Holiday Closure Notice: Entrepreneurial Initiative for Food Program

Please note our upcoming holiday schedules, in alignment with the University Holiday Calendar:

Thanksgiving Week: Response times will be delayed while the lab is closed.
Winter Break Closure: The lab will be closed from Monday, December 21st through Friday, January 1st.

Important Sample Submission Guidelines:

Monday, December 14th: Final deadline to receive 2026 product samples.
Monday, January 4th, 2027: Lab reopens and physical sample receiving resumes.

Our Online Request Form will remain active during the break. However, please do not ship physical samples during the closure, as packages will not be accepted through University mail or reviewed until the week of Monday, January 4th, 2027.

Thank you for allowing us to assist you throughout 2026. We look forward to working with you in 2027!

Our Mission

The Entrepreneur Initiative for Food (EI4F) program ensures individuals and firms transform agriculture commodities into safe, nutritious, and value-added food and beverage products. The mission of EI4F is to help small food business owners and prospective entrepreneurs make informed decisions leading to greater economic development and job creation.

Shelves with condiment bottles and a red booklet labeled "Acidified Foods Manufacturing School"

Our Services

The Entrepreneurial Program offers two primary services:

Service A: Product Testing & Processing Recommendations

We analyze shelf-stable product samples to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

Acid & Acidified Foods: We classify your product (acid, acidified, water activity-controlled/low-moisture, or other) according to State and Federal regulations and provide formal processing recommendations.
Other Food Products: For foods that do not fall under the shelf-stable acid/acidified categories, we can test your sample and issue an official letter stating its pH and water activity (Aw). You can use this data for further product development or to verify safety parameters for regulatory agencies.

Service B: Nutritional Information

We input your product formulation into a certified nutritional database to generate compliant Nutrition Facts Panels and Ingredient Statements.

Important Data Requirement: To generate a compliant label, it may be necessary for you to provide the Mandatory Nutrients on a 100-gram basis for ingredient(s) in your recipe.

Process for Submission

Getting started is a simple two-step process. Please do not mail any physical samples to our lab until requested.

Step 1: Submit Online Form ➔ Step 2: Await Instructions ➔ Step 3: Ship Your Sample

Fill out the Online Request Form: Complete the form with your basic contact information, exact batch formulation (recipe), and current processing steps.
Review & Next Steps: Our team will review your submission and contact you via email with instructions on how to ship your product, including the exact sample size and quantity needed.