Many wonder about new safety requirements and the necessary elements of having an effective animal food safety plan. A course in the Food and Drug Administration’s animal food safety regulatory requirements answered these questions and many more at the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA)–KSU Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Feed Industry Training course held at the IGP Institute Conference Center May 23–25, 2017.
The course instructors primarily discussed the fundamentals of animal food safety and provided participants with a framework to develop and implement a plan for animal food safety.
“It’s been enlightening,” says Matt Repking, quality control manager at The Equity in Effingham, Illinois. “I’ve liked seeing how the industry as a whole is working and to be able to actually use it as a tool. The opportunities and connections made will be valuable to reach out and find information when you need it.”
This FSMA training had an additional secondary HACCP component that was accredited by the HACCP Alliance. After successfully completing both of these courses in the program, participants received two certificates and can demonstrate they are a “preventative controls qualified individual” to the FDA.
“The best part of the course is the interaction among participants,” says Cassandra Jones, associate professor at Kansas State University. “We have people from various parts of the grain and feed industry learning the regulations alongside one another and those who will be inspecting them. This encourages valuable discussion to help facilities learn their options for compliance with the rules, and also helps inspectors understand the complexity that compliance can add to existing facility operations.”
For more information about other upcoming courses visit the IGP website at www.grains.k-state.edu/igp. To register for this course please visit the IGP registration website at www.igpevents.ksu.edu.
