Do you need an employee certified in HACCP?
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EmailCertain third party audits and food safety plans require having an employee trained in HACCP.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a system designed to increase food safety through assessment, monitoring, and preventative measures. United States Department of Agriculture regulations require inspected meat and poultry facilities to have HACCP plans in place. Regulations, and HACCP training, dictate that an employee assigned to implement and maintain a HACCP plan is trained. Certain operations under the supervision of the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA), such as seafood and juice production are also required to maintain HACCP plans. HACCP plans are further mandated as part of a comprehensive food safety system through many third-party audits and programs that are part of Global Food Safety Initiative. Recently, FDA released the final human and food rules for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This Act often requires a written food safety plan that may include a HACCP component. Prerequisite programs are a large support component to HACCP plans and new requirements that are part of FSMA.
It is important for upper management to be aware of the requirement to have adequately trained staff to design, implement and maintain a HACCP plan. To that end, many employers often send staff to HACCP training. In order for a food safety system to truly be effective, employers and upper management must have buy-in to the food safety plan and support the food safety team. It can take a considerable amount of additional time and effort to create, implement, and follow a HACCP plan. But the effort and necessary controls to improve food safety and prevent recalls and illness are very important to a food processor.
Michigan State University Extension will offer Development and Implementation of HACCP and Prerequisite Program trainings in 2024. The training sessions will be offered virtually and in-person. The virtual sessions will be hosted on January 30-Ferbuary 1, 2024 and September 17-19, 2024. The in-person session will be in the Okemos, Michigan area from June 11-12, 2024. Registration is online and limited to 18 participants for each training.
