What's everyone doing about FDA registration?

[heus]

I see in the Maple News that registration is mandatory by next year some time. Being someone who sells most of my syrup wholesale, I will be required to be inspected. I am not sure what I am going to do about this. If I have to invest a ton into washable walls, worker bathrooms, etc I may just downsize and sell mostly retail. Can someone tell me what the inspections will entail? I am in Ohio.

[maple maniac65]

Well that is a very good question. I would love to see a checklist posted that defines just that IN SIMPLE ENGLISH. I tried to register but I think I need a 5th grader to decipher the form so I can find that one box that says I am not a threat.

[buckeye gold]

heus, Do you usually attend Ohio Maple days in January. Dan Milo with the Dept. of Ag food safety usually goes over all that and updates everyone on what is new. They are holding one at a new site in Geauga County this year. SOmewhere I have Dan's e-mail, PM me if you want it and I'll see if I can find it.

[amaranth farm]

Radio Silence.

[maple maniac65]

McClure in Littleton required proof of registration to sell to them. I am lead to believe all packers are going to require proof of registration

[wiam]

McClure in Littleton required proof of registration to sell to them. I am lead to believe all packers are going to require proof of registration

Maple Grove checks for registration.

[Bucket Head]

Folks will have to register to sell to a packer even though they may not sell over half their crop wholesale?

There does seem to be an awful lot of confusion still about this FDA registration. The wholesale/retail, small producer/large producer wording in recent publications has not helped. Recent conversations prove many producers do not know "where they are supposed to stand" with this. I agree that a short list of much simplified and clearly defined set of rules regarding this would be great thing for all. And reports of daunting attempts at the online registration doesn't exactly encourage folks to register either.

[amaranth farm]

Radio Silence.

[wiam]

Not by law. If a packer decides to hold your feet to the fire, then you have a choice. Find more ways to sell "privately", educate your packer, or find a packer that does not misinterpret the law. Bottom line is that if you sell less than 50% of your total crop to packers, you are not bound by the law to register.

Packer is not necessarily misinterpreting the law. They get to pick what rules they want to follow when buying syrup. Might be their own standards or who they sell to down the line.

[DrTimPerkins]

They get to pick what rules they want to follow when buying syrup. Might be their own standards or who they sell to down the line.

That pretty much sums it up. With the current oversupply of syrup, and the buyers of syrup requiring more documentation from the packers, they are simply applying the same standards to all the folks they buy syrup from. Your choice is to comply with their rules and sell to them, or don't and sell to someone else (if you can find someone who uses different rules).