Food Businesses Program
The Kansas Value Added Foods Lab is dedicated to helping small food businesses produce safe food products to sell directly to consumers. Our goal is to help increase the value of agricultural products to make them more attractive and usable, from concept to customer. Some of these small businesses start out of home kitchens or vendor booths at farmers markets and grow into larger businesses.
Before any food product is made, many business decisions must be considered. Researching the business structure, making a business plan and selecting a location, among other important factors, make up the foundation of a successful business.
We partner with the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the From the Land of Kansas program to guide small Kansas food businesses through government regulations and licensing compliance procedures.
Our team of experts can also develop Nutrition Facts Labels for your food products. We test and analyze food products that are regulated by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.
Our Meat Science program provides assistance to small meat processors. We help develop value-added meat products, evaluate and analyze products, and help meat processing businesses to start operations. This program is guided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations.
Food Business Resources
Below are helpful resources relating to food business - from concept to product testing. If you have specific questions, please reach out to one of our specialists or contact your local extension office.
The Kansas Value Added Foods Lab (KVAFL) at K-State provides a variety of services including product development, technical assistance, product testing and educational workshops. Our food scientists ensure local businesses have a safe and good-tasting product by testing foods for pH (acid) levels, sodium or sugar content and more. Operators of small businesses may require product testing for certain items if they want to sell their products direct to consumers, via farmers markets, home-based businesses or other avenues. We provide a variety of services including: For meat processors, our meat science specialists can help develop value-added meat products, evaluate and analyze the products and help get meat processing businesses up and running. For more information, see the Meat Science Value Added website. Find tools, resources and materials to start a food-related business in Kansas. Interested in selling a food product? Learn more about the safety guidelines, licensing requirements and best practices for direct-to-consumer sales in Kansas. Insects may adversely affect our homes, food, field crops, gardens, lawns, health or health of our animals. Many food items, such as flour and cereal, can become infested with household pests. These resources provide additional information about pest identification and solutions for control. Stay up to date on the latest news, events and activities by following us on social media. Be sure to check out our most recent news and listen to food-related topics on the Global Food Systems podcast.
Visit our website to learn more about our fees and product testing.
Contact Us
Karen Blakeslee
Extension Associate - Rapid Response Center
221 Call Hall
1530 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-1673
785-532-3295 fax
kblakesl@k-state.edu
Area(s) of Specialization:
- Rapid Response Center
- Food Science for Extension Agents
Dr. Liz Boyle
Professor/Extension Specialist
249 Weber Hall
1424 Claflin Road
Manhattan KS 66506
785-532-1247
lboyle@k-state.edu
Area(s) of Specialization:
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
- Meat Safety and Quality
- Processed Meats
Dr. Kelly Getty
Associate Professor/Process Authority
247 Weber Hall
1424 Claflin Road
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-3486
kgetty@ksu.edu
Area of Specialization:
- Food Safety
Programs and Events
We offer a variety of learning opportunities and programs throughout the year. For more information on upcoming classes and events in your area, please contact your local extension office.