Impact of a Community-Based Extension Boiling-Water-Bath Canning Workshop in Maryland from 2018–2024

Home canning is associated with family recipes, untested for safety, as an adequate means to prevent foodborne illness. Community-based education by trained Extension agents can build behaviors among home canners to safely preserve food. The research aimed to determine whether consumers increased their knowledge and behaviors related to canning and the effectiveness of agent training in delivering food preservation programs. The University of Maryland Extension, Family & Consumer Sciences agents teach hands-on skills for safely using canning equipment. The program evaluation consisted of a pre-, post, and 6-month follow-up survey guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior about their food preservation practices. Matched surveys were completed by 324 participants (2018–2024), where no data was collected from 2020–2021 (COVID-19). The majority of respondents were female (82.7%), white (81.8%), and about half received a college degree or higher. Match-paired t-tests indicated a significant increase (p<0.05) in respondents’ confidence from pre to post-surveying operating a boiling-water bath canner, canning for others, using laboratory-tested recipes, and contacting Extension agents about food preservation compared to the start of the 3-hour workshop. Extension agents can play a positive role in creating a safe food supply.