3/24 Acidified Foods Workshop and HACCP Implementation for Food and Meat Industry Workshop

The Acidified Foods Workshop will be held March 24-25 in Columbia MO, is a Better Process Control School (BPCS) event specifically for processors of acidified food products and meets the requirements of 21 CFR Part 114 for FDA regulated food manufacturers.

Those who would like to process low acid canned foods should attend a BPCS event designed for thermal processing (retorting) of low acid products such as one offered at Oklahoma State University (http://www.fapc.biz/processcontrol.html) June 11-13, 2014 or at the University of Arkansas (http://www.uark.edu/depts/ifse/bpcsrev1.html) November 4-6, 2014.  Low acid canned foods training will not occur in Missouri this year.

The two-day (7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) workshop is best for managers or process operators responsible for the safety of acidified foods. New or relatively inexperienced employees are welcome and a reduced registration fee will be available for multiple representatives from a single company. The registration fee will cover all educational materials, exams, and a food safety textbook plus refreshments and two lunches. In addition, the registration fee includes a laboratory analysis of the pH and water activity for one product per participant.

At the end of the program, there will be a "walk-through" of the paperwork needed to file an acidified food process with FDA conducted by a Process Authority. Every participant that successfully completes the workshop will receive a certificate that may be used to verify the training for FDA or Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services records.

Schedule

Day 1

7:30-8:00 am   Registration

8:00-8:10         Welcome and Course Introduction, Andrew Clarke, MU

8:10-8:45         FDA Regulations (Chapter 1), TBD, Consumer Safety Officer, FDA

8:45-10:15       Microbiology (Chapter 2), Steve Seideman, UA

10:15-10:30     Break

10:30-11:45     Acidified Foods (Chapter 3), Andrew Clarke, MU

11:45-12:45     Lunch

12:45-1:45       Principles of Thermal Processing (Chapter 4), William McGlynn, OSU
1:45-3:00         Food Plant Sanitation (Chapter 5), Andrew Clarke, MU
3:00-3:15         Break

3:15- 4:30        Food Container Handling (Chapter 6), William McGlynn, OSU
4:30                 Questions & Discussion

4:45                 Adjourn

7:00                 Laboratory Analysis Demonstration (optional*)

Day 2

7:30- 8:00 am  Exam Retakes

8:00- 9:30        Records for Product Protection (Chapter 7), Andrew Clarke, MU

9:30-10:30       Process Room Instrumentation, Steve Seideman, UA
Equipment and Operation (Chapter 8)

10:30 10:45     Break

10:45-12:00     Closure of Glass Containers (Chapter 16), Dr. Andrew Clarke, MU

12:00-1:00       Lunch

1:00-2:15         Closures for Semi-rigid and Flexible, Steve Seideman, UA           
Containers (Chapter 17)

2:15-4:00         Process Authority Services and Filing Process Schedules with FDA, William McGlynn, OSU

4:00                 Questions, Evaluations

4:30                 Workshop Concludes

* The optional Laboratory Analysis Demonstration is open to all participants and will involve the use of common techniques for determining pH and water activity of selected food products.  Participants may bring a sample of their own product for the demonstration. A confidential analysis of pH and water activity of one product per participant is included in the workshop registration. Additional products can be tested for a fee (please contact Andrew Clarke at ClarkeA@missouri.edu for rates).

Registration

The registration fee is $425 for the first person from a company and $325 for each additional person from the same company. All participants will be provided with workshop materials as well as lunches and refreshments during breaks.

Space is limited to the first 100 participants so early registration is encouraged.  Registration deadline: March 10, 2014.  To register, please send an e-mail with contact information (participant name, company name, address, telephone and e-mail) to FergusonSD@Missouri.edu

We will confirm your registration and provide directions to the meeting location by e-mail reply.  If you have any questions or do not have e-mail access for registration, please contact Ms. Starsha Ferguson, 573-882-4113.

HACCP

The University of Missouri will also host a workshop for Implementation of HACCP for the Meat and Food Industry on March 26-28, 2014. Separate registration is required for this workshop which is accredited by the International HACCP Alliance for certificate-based instruction that satisfy USDA and FDA training requirements. Contact either Andrew Clarke at ClarkeA@missouri.edu or Starsha Ferguson at FergusonSD@Missouri.edu for more information about the HACCP Workshop.