International Grains Program Holds HACCP Short Course
To be held Nov. 5-8 in Manhattan, KS
Producing a safe and efficient feed starts at the beginning. That is why it is important for all individuals involved in the feed industry to have a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan. To assist with this information the International Grains Program will hold a HACCP Feed Manufacturing short course in conjunction with the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA).
The course will be held Nov. 5-8, 2012, at the IGP Conference Center. Feed mill managers, quality assurance personnel and ingredient suppliers in the feed industry are encouraged to attend.
“The course provides the basic tools for feed millers to learn and how to implement all the principles of HACCP step-by-step,” says Carlos Campabadal, IGP feed manufacturing program specialist and the course manager. “Participants leave with the right knowledge to develop a HACCP plan at their facility.”
Throughout the week, class members will study feed-industry regulations, learn about the pre-requisites of a HACCP program and will be trained in the proper identification of biological, physical and chemical hazards. In addition, participants will work through the seven HACCP principles.
A participant during the April HACCP course offering appreciated the way each principle was broken down for her. “I wanted to validate the HACCP plan that we already had developed for completeness and accuracy by learning what needs to be in a HACCP plan and how to maintain it,” says Vonnie Shepherd, a senior quality assurance manager at AFB International.
Shepherd recognizes why it is important to stay on top of continuing to train and educate oneself on HACCP programs. “The requirements are always changing. We live in a heavily regulated industry and need to continuously educate ourselves on what the next requirements are going to be in order to stay in compliance,” Shepherd says.
This is just one example of the many partnership trainings offered through IGP. In addition, IGP offers standard short courses in grain marketing and risk management, flour milling, and grain processing, and feed manufacturing and grain marketing. For more information about IGP, visit www.grains.k-state.edu/igp.
