Sugarhouse Certification Program: Resources & Appendices
These templates will give you a starting point for the required documentation or can help you enhance what you already have documented for your sugarhouse operations. They're available in individual Word documents, so you can print or download only what you need and adapt each of them to fit your sugarhouse. Some of the templates are written for specific models of equipment; you'll need to update these templates to reflect that actual equipment you have in your sugarhouse. (We're not suggesting that every piece of equipment is cleaned the same way!)
Each item is labeled to correspond with where they show up in the Sugarhouse Certification Checklist.
Appendices
Section 2: Personnel
2.1 Sugarhouse operational manual
2.4 Sugarhouse Employee Hygiene Policy
2.4 Sugarhouse Handwashing Procedures & Policies
2.4 Staff training records on sanitation and hygiene
2.7 Visitor sign sharing food safety expectations
2.8 Visitor log
Section 3: Sap Collection & Storage
3.1 Sample Sugarbush Facility Map
3.3 Policy for regular cleaning and inspection of bulk storage containers
Section 4: Sugarhouse & Grounds
4.1 Sugarhouse starting procedure
4.6 Documentation on chemicals
4.8 Procedures for neutralizing maple wash water
4.10 Training procedures for personnel on PPE
Section 5: Evaporating Processes
5.1 Policy for disposing of product
5.3 Policy on evaporator and sugarhouse shutdown and cleaning procedures
5.3 RO shutdown and cleaning procedure
5.7 Production procedures to eliminate allergens
5.8 Policy on separating outside food
5.11 Policy specifying storage of concentrate and sap
5.14 Sugarhouse boiling records
Section 6: Packing Syrup
6.1 Policy for packing and grading syrup according to Vermont standards
Section 7: Storage & Traceability
7.1 System to create lot numbers
Section 8: Pure Maple Confections
8.1 Policy for Producing Pure Maple Confections
Other Resources
- 1.1 Lead Mitigation - Quality Control Measures
- Cross contact poster
- Handwashing poster, VT Dept of Health
- Touchless Handwashing Station Fact Sheet, UVM Extension
- Cat Toxin Risks, MSU Ext
- Chemical Safety in Maple Sugaring Operations, Proctor Maple Research Center & VAAFM
- Water testing through Vermont Department of Health (test kit A for homeowners tests coliform and e. coli)
