ROOM AT THE TABLE - Intersight - University at Buffalo

of food processing facilities, manufacturing and distribution of food
products, and marketing and inspection standards. Additionally, several
other provisions detail the various initiatives and incentives available to
local counties and farmers. The following section will describe the purpose
of agricultural districts and their importance to the regulatory environment
surrounding the conservation of farmland.
Created by the State of New York Legislature, the New York
Department of Agriculture and Markets is charged with the regulation of
the state’s food and agriculture industry. All state retail food establishments
(i.e. grocery stores that conduct any type of food preparation, or other
ready­to­eat packaged food) 1 require state approval through the issuance
of an Article 20­C license. 2 The application fee is $400. However, a food
processing establishment can obtain a home processing fee exemption,
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containers are clean, sanitary, and properly labeled, (2) all home processed
foods produced under this exemption are neither adulterated nor misbranded,
and (3) glass containers for jams, jellies, marmalades and similar products
are provided with suitable rigid metal covers. 3 The restriction is limited
to the following non­potentially hazardous home processed foods: bakery
products; traditional fruit jams, jellies and marmalades; spices and herbs;
snack items such as popcorn, caramel corn and peanut brittle; and candy
(excluding chocolate). 4
For small­scale food processing establishments, two different
departments provide regulatory oversight, depending on the type of
establishment. The New York State Department of Health regulates
restaurants, while the New York State Department of Agriculture and
Markets regulates food preparation and processing. For example, the
Department of Health requires submission of kitchen drawings before
construction and quarterly testing for water derived from non­municipal
sources. 5 By comparison, the Department of Agriculture and Markets has
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