The Food Safety Summit, the premiere event for thousands of food safety professionals to address emerging issues throughout the supply chain, has announced eight certificate/certification classes to be offered at the 21st annual Conference & Expo taking place May 6-9, 2019 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

New and expanded courses for 2019 are the 2.5 day Live Seafood HACCP Training, Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training and IA Conducting Vulnerability Assessments Course. The five returning courses are: Professional Food Safety Auditor Training, Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety (CCFS), HACCP Training, Preventive Controls for Human Foods, and Foreign Supplier Verification. These courses will each include breakfast, lunch and breaks, books/training material and certificate. Multi-Day course registration includes access to the Food Safety Summit education sessions, exhibit hall, and networking functions during non-course hours. For details, visit https://www.foodsafetystrategies.com/agenda. 

"Each year hundreds of food safety professionals participate in the certificate/certification programs during the Summit because they have access to all of the education, special events and networking opportunities the Summit offers," said Scott Wolters, Director, Tradeshows & Conferences, BNP Media, producers of the event. "We have partnered with NEHA, FSPCA, and AFDO to gives our attendees the opportunity to get the important training they need and become qualified individuals for their organizations. We are also pleased to announce that AFDO will be hosting their North Central Association Meeting during the first two days of the Summit."

On Monday, May 6, two 1-Day courses will be offered from 9:00am - 5:00pm. The first one, IA Conducting Vulnerability Assessments Course will be led by Jon Woody, CAPT, USPHS, FDA and will focus on the information and skills necessary to conduct a vulnerability assessment that considers the three fundamental elements outlined in the IA rule. The second course, the Produce Safety Alliance Growing Training course, will be instructed by Don Stoeckel, Ph.D., Produce Safety Alliance who will teach fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety.

There will be three 2-Day courses taking place on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7, from 9:00am - 5:00pm. The Professional Food Safety Auditor Training course led by Kimberly Onett, NSF is designed to strengthen and enhance the skills, knowledge, and critical thinking behaviors attributed to a qualified food safety auditor in the post-FSMA environment. Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety (CCFS), will be offered in partnership with NEHA who will provide a strong core knowledge base for food safety professionals with a primary responsibility of overseeing the processing, manufacturing, and supply-chain environments of the U.S. and imported food supply. The Foreign Supplier Verification course will be instructed by Nancy Scharlach, FSMA International, who will provide participants with an understanding of the requirements of the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs rule (FSVP) for importers of food for humans and animals.

The 2.5-Day Courses to be offered at the Food Safety Summit include the HACCP Training course, the Seafood HACCP course, and the Preventive Controls for Human Foods course. HACCP Training, led by William Lachowsky, Ontario College of Teachers, is a requirement for food safety professionals and HACCP Team members in processing facilities inspected by USDA/FSIS Inspectors, and for those FDA-inspected facilities that are required by their 3rd party audit company or by their customers to have a voluntary HACCP Plan. The Preventive Controls for Human Foods, instructed by Donna Schaffner, Rutgers Food Innovation Center, is the "standardized curriculum" recognized by FDA and successfully completing this course meets the FSMA requirements for a "preventive controls qualified individual". The standard "live" 2.5 day Seafood HACCP Alliance training course, led by Eva Rodriguez-Szewczyk, Rutgers Food Innovation Center is for the supply chain of the seafood processors including food distribution warehouses and those companies that make, transport or stores seafood. All three of these courses will take place: Monday, May 6, at 9:00am - 5:00pm, Tuesday, May 7, at 9:00am - 5:00pm, and Wednesday, May 8 at 1:00pm - 5:00pm.

New to the 2019 Summit, state and local regulators from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, will gather for the North Central Association of Food and Drug Officials (NC AFDO) Meeting to hear updates on food regulatory programs from the Midwest, and discuss the FDA's retail food programs, implementation of preventive control inspections programs at the state and federal levels, third party audit programs, and more.

For all of the information about the certificate/certification courses and registration for the NC AFDO meeting, visit https://www.foodsafetystrategies.com/agenda. For the best pricing, register before March 31st. 

Source: Food Safety Summit