Processors reinforce commitment to food safety as part of national Food Safety Month
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The Midwest Food Processors Association (MWFPA) annouced recently that it supports the National Restaurant Association’s annual National Food Safety Month (NFSM) in September. The National Restaurant Association’s National Food Safety Month was created in 1994 to heighten awareness about the importance of food safety education.
“Food safety is the number one priority of the food processing industry” according to MlWFPA’s President Nick George. “MWFPA and its member companies work in close collaboration with state and federal authorities to ensure consumers throughout the United States enjoy safe and high quality food products. We are pleased to support NRA’s efforts to focus on health and safety.”
In an effort to promote food safety within the processing industry, MWFPA will hold a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) seminar in La Crosse, Wisconsin, October 20-21, 2014. HACCP is a process control system designed to identify hazards in food production, food packaging and food distribution. It includes steps designed to prevent problems before they occur and to correct deviations as soon as they are detected.
The seminar is open to all food processors, suppliers and regulators who wish to learn the basics of HACCP in food processing or reviewing fundamental principles and concepts associated with HACCP. Group exercises during the workshop will allow attendees to understand the process of developing a HACCP plan of selected food products.
Not only are HACCP programs the basis for all food safety plans, HACCP knowledge is also required by law under the federal Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law in 2011 and places new safety requirements on food processors, packers, distributors, exporters and importers.
Food processing encompasses many technologies that variously provide foods with longer shelf life, allow them to be transported long distances, enhance their palatability, and reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen contamination.
“Our food system remains among the safest in the world and our supply is safe, nutritious and abundant” said George. “A good knowledge of HACCP is the foundation for all food safety programs and the MWFPA seminar will provide that knowledge” he added.
Those interested in participating in the MWFPA HACCP seminar can find downloadable registration and other information at the MWFPA website at http://www.mwfpa.org/events, or call 608-255-9946.