Training - Food Manufacturing
Food Manufacturing – Self-Paced Online Courses
Safe, Sanitary, Online Food Safety Training!
NJMEP Self-Paced Online Food Training
These five (5) programs offer food and beverage manufacturers across the nation access to self-paced, in-depth online food training courses.
NJMEP's In-Depth, Self-Paced Online training programs each cost $200 Per Person
Use these courses to upskill employees and remain in compliance. These online training courses are a fantastic option for those looking for supplemental education or those that want to refresh their skills from the in-person training offered by NJMEP. Learn more about all five (5) online food training programs.
- Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) Readiness Online Course
- Food Allergens Online Course
- Food Defense Online Course
- Food Recalls and withdrawals Online Course
- HACCP Overview Online Course
Please note the following hardware and internet requirements needed for the online classes:
Hardware Requirements:
- PC computer running at 3.0 GHz CPU or greater with minimum of 4 GB RAM or better with Windows 7 or higher
- OR an Apple Macintosh 10.12 or higher
- 4GB RAM (8GB RAM or more is highly recommended)
- Broadband or modem connection for the internet
- Microphone and speakers (Webcam is strongly recommended)
- Updated anti-virus software
- Select Browser Checker to determine your system compatibility with Blackboard
Internet Requirements:
Web browser: Firefox or Google Chrome are supported browsers. It is extremely important that you use a supported browser when using Blackboard Learn so that all course content and the course tools properly display. We do not recommend Apple Safari or Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Internet Explore is no longer a supported browser. We recommend installing both Firefox and Chrome browsers for use with our technologies, especially if one results in an error message. Please try using a different browser to see if you experience the same results. Select Browser Checker to determine your system compatibility with Blackboard.
Pop-up Blockers must be disengaged. Blackboard contains many features that are pop-ups and must be allowed for full functionality of the course.
Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) Readiness Online Course
Format: Self-Paced, fully online, approx. 4-6 hours
Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) Regulations is the process that ensures the quality of a product by establishing manufacturing procedures, ensuring that food is safe and has been prepared, packed, and stored under hygienic conditions. They describe the methods, equipment, facilities, and controls for producing processed food. These had major updates with FSMA in 2015, from section 110 to being recently archived and now replaced with section 117 in the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations).
- Food manufacturers must comply with cGMP’s through new regulations to be compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), they are now more extensive and provide a holistic approach.
- cGMP’s are critical, not only to FSMA, but to every food safety and quality certification. They are audited by third-party food safety auditors at all levels of certifications in the food and beverage industry. They are also considered prerequisites under the new pre-prerequisite program under the FSMA rule- “Preventive Controls Rule for Human Food”.
https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334115.htm
Course Learning Outcomes: The participants will be able to apply and help support the implementation of the revised current good manufacturing practices requirements (cGMP’s) according to the final rule for “Preventive controls for human food”, released on September 17th 2015.
Subject Matter Expert: Juliana Canale
Course Number and Name: cGMP Readiness
Format: Self-Paced, fully online, approx. 4-6 hours
Upon the successful completion of this course, student assessments will demonstrate competencies and measurable skills in the following areas:
- How to apply and build the components and requirements of cGMP within the food and beverage industry.
- Implement cGMPs through the organization to ensure sanitary and processing requirements are being met.
Online benefits content compared to in-person:
- Self paced- allows flexibility
- Online support with instructor as needed
- Affordable and competitive pricing – a great way to supplement in-person training by creating a strong baseline prior to enrolling for the NJMEP in person training
Food Allergens Online Course
Format: Self-Paced, fully online, approx. 4-6 hours
With millions of consumers affected by food allergens, consumers look to food companies to provide them with safe food products. Consumers rely on the industry to correctly recognize, process and market foods with correct labeling. Misrepresentation of food allergens can become very costly to food manufacturers and suppliers. Mishandling of food allergens is one of the most common reasons for food recalls. Currently, over 45% of all class recalls are allergen related and the numbers are not going down. According to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), there are 8 major allergens accounting for 90% of food allergic reactions, which include any other ingredients that contain proteins from one of more of them and must therefore declared in a specific way on food packaging. Allergen control is an essential part of every food safety program and required by the new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rule for Preventive Controls for Human Foods.
The Allergen Control Plan outlines controls that are put in place regarding the handling, processing, storage, packaging and identifying of allergens and the likelihood of possible locations where cross-contact can be identified. The following course will elaborate on the major food allergens and how they affect current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) and Food Safety Principles for food manufacturers and suppliers. How to create an effective foundational Allergen Control Plan and maintain it in case of changes will be explained. Participants will also learn about allergen labeling on product ingredient labels and food recalls due to allergens.
Course Learning Outcomes: The participants will be able to apply best practices for food safety principles to help support the mitigation of allergen cross-contact in manufacturing and effectively control allergens in a manufacturing environment that can help support Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) regulations.
Upon the successful completion of this course, student assessments will demonstrate competencies and measurable skills in the following areas:
- Create a framework of an Allergen Control Plan that can be customized to your business.
- Have a working knowledge of food allergens and how they affect food production line protocols.
- Identifying facility deficiencies that can lead to cross-contact of multiple allergens.
- Importance of correct allergen food labeling and food recalls affected by allergens.
The participant will receive a certificate of successful completion for the course after passing the cumulative final assessment.
Online benefits content compared to in-person:
- Self paced- allows flexibility
- Online support with instructor as needed
- Affordable and competitive pricing – a great way to supplement in-person training by creating a strong baseline prior to enrolling for the NJMEP in person training
Food Defense Online Course
Format: Self-Paced, fully online, approx. 4-6 hours
Food Defense is the effort to protect food from acts of intentional adulteration. The FDA issued the final rule in May 2016 on mitigation strategies to protect food against “Intentional Adulteration”, which requires applicable facilities to formulate and implement food defense plans.
The purpose of the food defense plan is to prevent food products being adulterated from any source inside or outside the company. Such acts intended to cause wide-spread harm to public health, including but not limited to acts of terrorism intending to target food supply, could cause illness, death and economic turmoil to the food supply. Implementing an effective food defense plan will allow for the prevention, protection against, mitigation, response time and recovery from any intentional adulteration of our food supply. Furthermore, food defense is already a requirement for all GFSI accredited Food Safety Management Systems (SQF, BRC, etc.).
The following course will dive deep into the understanding of food defense requirements and how to create a customized food defense plan for their facility.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify potential threats to the food manufacturing process from internal/externals sources.
- Devise a food defense plan; physical/procedural countermeasures identifying risk, plan execution testing and creating a crisis management program.
- Create broad and focused mitigations strategies, vulnerability assessments and scenarios to test facility readiness.
- Develop recall programs in response to intentional adulteration.
The participant will receive a certificate of successful completion for the course after passing the cumulative final assessment.
This course is designed for:
- Senior Management at your plant/distribution center
- Risk and Compliance Managers
- SQF Practitioners, SQF Auditors and SQF Consultants
- Business Owners, selected supervisory team members and specialists (HR, IT, security personnel, etc.) who work at your company and who wish to gain an insight into how to develop, write and implement this mandatory Food Defense system.
Online benefits content compared to in-person:
- Self paced- allows flexibility
- Online support with instructor as needed
- Affordable and competitive pricing – a great way to supplement in-person training by creating a strong baseline prior to enrolling for the NJMEP in person training
Food Recall and Withdrawals Online Course
Format: Self-Paced, fully online, approx. 4-6 hours
A food recall is either a food manufacturer or suppliers’ voluntary response to a mislabeling, or potential hazard by removing a product from the market place or it is mandated by the FDA in response to a food safety issue determined. The most common reasons for food recalls are allergen mislabeling and the presence of pathogens. Other reasons behind food recalls include incorrect packaging, wrong food labels, and physical contamination. The importance of having a food recall plan is to ensure quick and efficient removal of affected products from the market place and to allow the identification of key areas of needed improvement to prevent future hazards. Recall and withdrawal procedures are required for food manufacturers under the final FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rule for “Preventative Controls for Human Foods for hazards requiring control.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Develop a recall plan for their facility and be able to complete a first draft by the end of the course.
- Identify key areas of improvement and conduct risk assessment to ensure the safe production of food products and identifying the need to recall a food product.
- Learn how to proactively test your recall procedures with recall simulations and create improvements.
- Learn which tool are resources are available from the FDA and how they can be used.
The participant will receive a certificate of successful completion for the course after passing a written knowledge test following the training class.
The course is designed for:
- QA and QC Managers
- Food Safety Personnel
- HACCP Coordinators
- Corporate and Plant Microbiologists
- Processing Engineers
- Operations Supervisors and Managers
Online benefits content compared to in-person:
- Self paced- allows flexibility
- Online support with instructor as needed
- Affordable and competitive pricing – a great way to supplement in-person training by creating a strong baseline prior to enrolling for the NJMEP in person training
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) Overview Online Course
Format: Self-Paced, fully online, approx. 4-6 hours
Participants will learn about the background of HACCP as a food safety system and how it can be practically applied. The course covers the 5 preliminary steps and 7 HACCP principles which are required by the codex alimentarius. This is hands-on training that will guide you through the steps to develop and implement a science-based HACCP Program for your facility. In addition, best practices and examples will be presented and participants can apply the freshly gained knowledge during practical exercises which show how to apply the HACCP principles and achieve compliance to the requirements. By the end of the training course, participants will be able to:
- Identify hazards associated with raw materials and process steps and assign controls
- Determine the likelihood and severity of raw material hazards and process hazards
- Identify critical control points (CCPs) and define critical limits
- Evaluate monitoring and verification procedures for CCPs
The participant will receive a certificate for successful completion of the training after passing the written knowledge test at the end of the training class. The course is designed for:
- Plant HACCP Team Members
- Plant Management Teams
- Corporate Executives
- Anyone whose job function will impact the facility HACCP Plan
Online benefits content compared to in-person:
- Self paced- allows flexibility
- Online support with instructor as needed
- Affordable and competitive pricing – a great way to supplement in-person training by creating a strong baseline prior to enrolling for the NJMEP in person training