Michigan food establishments that process meat products will need to obtain a special variance under FDA guidelines, and MSU Extension has created a special self-directed online training for the variance requirements and application process.

More Information

Under the 2009 FDA Food Code, many meat processors are required to obtain a Specialized Meat Processing at Retail Food Establishments Variance (SMPRV) from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The most commonly affected food establishments include those that are:

  • Curing food.
  • Packing food using reduced-oxygen packaging.
  • Smoking food as a method of food preservation.
  • Using food additives as a method of food preservation or to rend food nonhazardous.

Deadline

MDARD requested applications by March 1, 2015. Submissions are still accepted for new firms. 

Video lessons

Watch the 12-video series

Additional educational resources that go with each video

  1. What is the Food Code and when is a variance needed?
  2. Basic food safety
  3. Impacts of unsafe food production
  4. Acronyms and prerequisite programs
  5. HACCP Principles 1 – 3
  6. HACCP Principles 4 – 7
  7. MDARD Application for Specialized Meat Processing at Retail Food Establishments Variance
  8. Measuring pH in processed meat products
  9. Measuring water activity in processed meat products
  10. Making a wet bulb
  11. Calculations to determine the proper amount of nitrite
  12. Extending shelf life beyond 14 days

Contact

For questions about the variance, please contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at 1-800-292-3939. You can also find more information about the meat variance at MDARD’s Meat Processing Regulations and Resources page.

For questions about the meat variance training series and how it can help you, contact MSU Extension specialist Jeannine Schweihofer at grobbelj@msu.edu.