Master Food Safety Advisor program education sessions are scheduled Jan. 12-March 9 through University of Idaho Owyhee County Extension.
Virtual sessions are to be held Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 12-Feb. 23. In-person sessions are scheduled March 2 and March 9 at the extension office, 238 8th Ave. W., Marsing.
How to preserve food products safely will be covered in lectures, demonstration and hands-on activities, according to a program flyer. Course topics will include general food safety, canning acidic foods and low-acid foods, canning soft spreads such as jams, jellies and preserves, pickling, dehydration, freezing methods and freeze drying.
After participants complete the course, they complete at least 30 hours of volunteer service by providing research-based food preservation information. Volunteer opportunities include teaching classes, helping at hands-on classes, staffing booths and displays at public gatherings and answering food safety questions.
Program growth
The program continued developing this year by recruiting, training, supervising and supporting nine first-year Master Food Safety Advisor volunteers from January through October, UI family and consumer sciences extension educator Surine Greenway told Capital Press. Hands-on classes reached 248 adults in 2026.
In addition to the first-year program, 13 advanced MFSAs were retained and educated through ongoing training and with 20 hours of volunteer commitment completed.
Between both programs, more than 676.5 volunteer hours were donated to UI Extension, Greenway said.
A 2025 volunteer hour in Idaho was worth $34.77, she said, citing research by the nonprofit Independent Sector. The Owyhee County MFSA program thus donated more than $23,504.52 in personal time to reach consumers with food safety education from November 2025 to October 2026.
“These volunteer experiences support food quality, food safety and preservation for clientele,” Greenway said. Volunteer-led efforts in 2026 reached some 1,755 adults in 2026, as well as additional youth.
This expanded outreach includes food preservation and food handling practices that “support individuals and families,” she said.
Need for food safety
A 2023 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that over half of survey respondents used at least one of 16 preservation methods — such as canning, dehydrating, fermenting and vacuum sealing — and that many respondents used methods the USDA considers unsafe or used recipes that had undergone limited research-based testing, Greenway said.
In southwest Idaho communities, “we’re seeing a desire to learn skills that will benefit people at home,” she said. “This means an increased interest in food preparation at home, and food preservation.
People want to know and control what is in the food they eat, and to reduce food waste, Greenway said.
“This is where we see individuals seeking homesteading and sustainability education to enact these practices themselves,” she said.
A $95 fee includes a handbook and additional reference materials, food, lab supplies, and instruction and lab time. A referral discount and scholarships are available.
Information: Greenway, 208-896-4104 or surineg@uidaho.edu.
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