Office of the Secretary
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The State of Delaware, Department of Agriculture, proposes these regulations pursuant to 3 Del.C. §§101 and 302. The proposed regulations contain the following general sections: Authority, Purpose, Scope, Construction, Definitions, Registration, License/permits, Operator qualifications, Labeling, Supervision, Washing of hands, Physical plant characteristics, Program administration, Violations and hearing procedures, Appeals, Civil penalties. These regulations are intended to allow on-farm home processing of non-potentially hazardous foods and clearly define the role of DDA in on-farm home processing of non-potentially hazardous foods.
The On-Farm Home Food Processing Program will exempt certain small food processors, who process and produce specified non-potentially hazardous food products, from the statutory requirements of Title 16 Delaware Code, Chapter 1, §122 and §134, and from the regulatory requirements of State of Delaware Food Code as it relates to the specified non-potentially hazardous food products; and the program will ensure protection of the public health through processor compliance with regulatory requirements of the On-Farm Home Food Processing Program.
The proposed regulations will be considered at a public hearing scheduled for August 1, 2005 at the Delaware Department of Agriculture building conference room #1 located at 2320 S. Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE. The hearing is being held for the purpose of receiving information, factual evidence, and public reaction as it relates to proposed on-farm home processing regulations under 3 Del.C. §§101 and 302. The hearing will be conducted in accordance with Title 29, Chapter 101, and the Administrative Procedures Act.
Copies of the proposed regulations may be obtained from the Department of Agriculture by calling the 1-800-282-8685; by writing the Delaware Department of Agriculture, 2320 S. Dupont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901; or, by visiting the Register of Regulations site at: http://www.delregs.state.de.us/index.html. Public comments may be submitted in writing to Mark Davis, Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture on or before 1:00 p.m. on August 1, 2005 and/ or in person at the public hearing.