MANHATTAN, KANSAS, U.S. – Food safety is important for the animal food industry, but also equally important for human consumption to ensure proper food handling for public health. A new course will be offered Sept. 25–29 at the IGP Institute for knowledge and training of the new guidelines and requirements under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for not only animal food, but also human food production. Registration deadline for the course is Sept. 8.

The NGFA–KSU Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) industry training course gives professionals in the food safety industry an opportunity to gain an understanding of the final requirements issued by the FDA and the elements necessary to create an effective food safety plan.

In the course, participants will learn the fundamentals of food safety, under the guidance of nationally recognized experts, allowing them to develop and implement a food safety plan associated with the FDA’s requirements.

“There are many new requirements, and this course will describe those requirements to participants as well as give some ideas for implementation and training to those concepts,” said Cassandra Jones, associate professor at Kansas State University (KSU).

Jones adds that she is excited to offer the training for industry and regulators.

The grain industry is in an interesting position as many facilities provide products that qualify as both a by-product that is sent to animal feed or as a product made for human consumption.

The course curriculum was developed by the Food Safety Preventative Controls Alliance (FSPCA), and upon successful completion of the course, individuals will receive two certificates of training from the FSPCA.

The IGP Institute offers several training courses in addition to feed manufacturing and grain quality management. The institute also conducts training in milling and grain processing, and grain marketing and risk management. To register for the course or learn more about these other training opportunities, visit the IGP Institute website.