We offer two primary services to help food entrepreneurs launch their products:

• Service A: Product Testing & Processing Recommendations: We analyze your shelf-stable product sample and classify it (e.g., acid, acidified, or water activity-controlled) according to Federal and State regulations to provide formal processing safety recommendations.
• Service B: Nutritional Information: We use a standardized nutrition database to input your product formulation, generating compliant Nutrition Facts Panels and Ingredient Statements.

You can submit your product details and formula by filling out our Online Request Form available on our website.

We take your privacy seriously, but as a public institution of the State of North Carolina, NC State University is subject to N.C. Public Records laws. Here is how we handle your data:

• What is protected: Proprietary information, research data, and trade secrets are exempt from public disclosure, provided they are clearly marked "Confidential" when submitted.
• Data Security: Your data is kept under secure password protection. Because we do not retain these records indefinitely, we recommend keeping your own permanent copies.
• Data Sharing: To protect your privacy, we will only discuss or release product information, Process Letters, or Nutritional Labels to the specific person or entity who initiated the submission, unless we receive written authorization to share it with a third party.

Our standard fees are straightforward, though discounts apply for certain multi-product submissions:

• Single Service (Testing or Nutritional Label): $150 per individual product.
• Both Services (Testing and Nutritional Label): $300 per individual product.
• Product Reformulation: $75 per service - For products previously tested that you have since modified.
• Multi-Product Discount (Testing Only): $75 for each additional product - Applies only to products submitted on the same day that vary by a single ingredient or quantity (e.g., different heat levels/flavors) and can be combined into one Process Letter. You will initially be charged the standard fee. After evaluating your submission, we will issue a refund for the discount if your products qualify. A maximum of two flavors/heat levels can be grouped into a single $150 baseline letter before the $75 rate applies to subsequent variations.

• Before work begins: A full refund can be issued if requested within 90 days of submission, provided testing or database calculations have not started.
• After 90 days: We cannot issue a refund after 90 days because we purge credit card information from our files for security compliance.
• After work begins: Once laboratory testing or nutritional calculations have started, no refunds are available.

There are two ways to generate a "Nutrition Facts" panel:

1. Laboratory Analysis: Chemically analyzing physical samples of the food across multiple batches.
2. Database Calculation: Inputting a recipe into a software database that aggregates known ingredient values.

The Entrepreneurial Program only offers Database Calculations.

No. Database calculations provide an excellent, cost-effective approximation, but they are not a substitute for true laboratory analysis.

• Limitations: The database cannot account for nutrient changes caused by active processing like fermentation, frying, baking weight loss, steeping, or juicing.
• Assumptions: Our calculations assume zero cooking/breading loss and that all recipe ingredients remain fully present in the final product.
• Missing Ingredients: If a specialty ingredient is missing from our database, you must contact your supplier for a "nutrient analysis per 100 grams" (a standard product Nutrition Facts label is not sufficient).

• Choose Database: If your product has a standard formulation, is cost-sensitive, and doesn't undergo complex processing (like frying or fermenting).
• Choose Lab Analysis: If your product is fried, salted, coated, or fermented, ingredient fractions are tough to calculate. You should use an independent, outside consulting laboratory.

An acidified food is legally defined (21 CFR 114.3) as a low-acid food to which acid(s) or acid food(s) are added, resulting in a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below and a water activity (Aw) greater than 0.85.

If your recipe mixes low-acid ingredients with acids (like vinegar or citrus), it likely qualifies. To find out for sure, submit your formula to our lab using the Online Sample Submission Form.

Note on Fermented Foods: Traditionally fermented foods (like Kimchi, Kombucha, and Sauerkraut) are exempt from acidified food regulations.

It is a 100% online course designed for operating supervisors who oversee the processing and packing of acidified foods (per 21 CFR 114.10).

• Who needs it? Anyone manufacturing acidified foods for sale—even if you only sell 10 jars a year. Alternatively, you must hire a commercial co-packer who holds this certification.
• Equivalency: It is fully equivalent to an in-person Better Process Control School course.
• Expiration: Your Certificate of Completion never expires.
• Account Sharing: Moodle course accounts cannot be shared. Every individual must register, pay for, and complete the course separately to earn their certificate.

For more information, visit Online Acidified Foods Manufacturing School.

Human food products in NC are primarily regulated by two entities:

• N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS): Regulates packaged foods. The Meat and Poultry Inspection Division handles items containing meat, while the Food and Drug Protection Division handles non-meat packaged foods.
• County Health Departments: Regulate prepared and ready-to-eat foods (like catering or restaurants) under rules from the Dairy and Food Protection Branch.

If you are processing in North Carolina, contact the NCDA&CS Food Compliance team at 919-733-7366 or visit their website. If you are operating outside of NC, contact your local state Department of Agriculture or Health Department.

• Packaged Foods: Maybe. The NCDA&CS allows certain low-risk items to be made at home but strictly prohibits others. Check their website under NC Home Processing for the approved list.
• Catering: No. You cannot cater hot meals out of a home kitchen; catering is strictly regulated by local County Health Departments. Exception: Baked goods intended for catering are permitted under NCDA&CS home-based business rules.

Generally, no. Baked goods are considered low-risk and rarely require formal testing or processing recommendations from our lab. However, the NCDA&CS may still request food safety verification, so verify with your inspector first.

Most food products require labeling, but the FDA grants automatic exemptions for small businesses if:

1. Your annual gross total sales are under $500,000, OR your gross food sales to consumers are under $50,000 (no FDA filing required).
2. You have fewer than 100 full-time equivalent employees AND sell fewer than 100,000 units of that specific product nationwide in a 12-month window (annual FDA notice filing required).

Note: Even if you are exempt by law, many retailers, distributors, and consumers will still require you to have a nutritional label to carry your product.

Our laboratory specializes strictly in food safety and regulatory compliance. While we cannot help you formulate or invent new recipes, we can gladly refer you to external product development specialists.

Yes! Companies called "co-packers" or "co-manufacturers" can produce and package your recipe for you. We maintain a directory of vetted partners on the "Other Services & Supplies" section of our website.

It is the client's sole responsibility to ensure all ingredients and label claims are legal according to the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) or your State's Department of Agriculture.

We reserve the right to refuse service for any formulation containing ingredients clearly prohibited by the FDA. Please note: Receiving a completed test or label calculation from our program does not constitute an official product approval or endorsement by NC State University.