Texas A&M Offers Feed Course on Application of HACCP to FSMA

To equip feed manufacturers and distributors with the skills necessary to develop a Food Safety plan in conformance with FSMA rules, Texas A&M University’s Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, in partnership with the Office of the Texas State Chemist, offers an eight-week course on Application of HACCP Principles to Build a FSMA Food Safety Plan. The online training course will be offered from January 30 – March 24, 2017.

The Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals rule published in September, 2015 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contains regulatory guidance for the application of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). To equip feed manufacturers and distributors with the skills necessary to develop a Food Safety plan in conformance with FSMA rules, Texas A&M University’s Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, in partnership with the Office of the Texas State Chemist, offers an 8-week course on the application of HACCP principles and prerequisite programs that align with FSMA regulations.

This course, first offered in 2003, has been continually updated to incorporate new scientific information, laws, and rules. The current updated course includes the revised Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) and new FSMA rules and incorporates the standardized curriculum recognized by the FDA. These are presented in a practical context that enables participants to navigate an increasingly complex and heavily regulated business environment. The mix of lectures, readings, and course homework assignments that culminate in the development of a food safety plan has drawn high praise from past course participants.   

The first step toward adoption of hazard analysis and preventive control principles involves the formation of a food safety team comprised of qualified employees. In this course, a team environment is used to help students apply a science-based approach to identify and manage hazards in feed ingredients and finished feed through pre-requisite programs and the development of a written food safety plan to protect animal and human health.

Participants receive the course text, HACCP: A Systematic Approach to Food Safety and access to an interactive course website. An electronic copy of the Preventive Controls for Animal Food participant manual developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance will be accessible to students online. Students completing course assignments earn a Texas A&M University Certificate of Completion with an International HACCP Alliance seal, and members of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists are eligible to earn 8 continuing education units. The course may be taken for graduate credit by students enrolled in the Texas A&M Regulatory Science program. The course meets the requirement prescribed within the FDA rule: Current Good Manufacturing Practices Hazard Analysis and Risk Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals pertaining to a preventive controls qualified individual.

The course is $500 per participant, which includes textbook and materials. For more information and registration, visit www.feedhaccp.org.