About Us - UC Master Food Preservers
What is the UC Master Food Preserver (MFP) program?
UC Master Food Preservers (MFP) is a public service and community outreach program under the University of California division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR). Certified program participants extend up-to-date, research-based information to the public on food safety and safe food preservation at home. The program exists in counties with the support and administration of a local UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) office.
A Master Food Preserver is a volunteer who is formally educated in food preservation/food safety and is certified by a university cooperative extension. Volunteers are qualified to teach food preservation/food safety in addition to disseminating that information via lectures, talks and other county events.
The University of California Cooperative Extension of Orange County trained its first Master Food Preservers in 2011. Since then more MFPs have been trained and have begun reaching out to the community. It is anticipated that MFP training will be offered once a year in order to have the ability to increase the opportunities to interact with and provide valuable research based information to our county.
What do MFP Volunteers in Orange County do?
- Answer food preservation questions from the public by email, web form, and phone.
- Staff information booths and present food preservation demonstrations at the Orange County Fair and other local public events.
- Develop and provide publications, educational materials, and web resources on all aspects of food preservation, including food safety, canning, freezing, drying, pickling, and preparing jams and jellies.
- Provide classes and workshops on home food preservation.
The web page Become a Master Food Preserver has more information for Orange County residents. If you do not reside in Orange County, please check below to see if your county has a program or contact the statewide site.
In California, Master Food Preserver Programs are administered by local county-based University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) offices. Refer to the California map (right) for the counties with a Master Food Preserver Program, colored gold. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Each county has something unique to offer to the program, but we are all working together to ensure University approved food preservation methods and standards of food safety are uniformly applied.
Get more information from the Statewide UC Master Food Preserver Program website.
Interactive CA Map with County or County's MFP Website Link
Select a County
Need assistance or more information?
For information about scheduling a Master Food Preserver for your public Orange County event or if you want more information about becoming a Master Food Preserver, please contact our Helpline via email.
If you have a question about food safety or food preservation methods, click the “Got a Question?” link on the banner at the top of the page.