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September 2023 Newsletter
Volume 3: Issue 3
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International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)
2023 Food Safety Award
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The Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) at Illinois Tech's Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) was selected to receive the 2023 Food Safety Award from the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).
“FSPCA has trained more than 3,000 lead instructors from 78 countries who are now using the FSPCA curricula to train industry personnel on food safety preventive controls principles and practices,” says Dr. Jason Wan, Director of FSPCA, Associate Director of IFSH and Illinois Tech Professor of Food Science. “More than 177,000 food safety personnel from 131 countries have been trained using the FSPCA standardized and core curricula. These individuals are now assisting the industry in producing safe food all over the world.”
Read more about FSPCA’s well-deserved award here.
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New FSPCA Website Coming October 1st | | |
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The new FSPCA website launches on October 1st and will better serve our stakeholders: lead instructors, course participants, and food industry professionals.
The redesigned website provides a more user-friendly experience, intuitive and streamlined navigation, and sports a fresh new look.
Register for the October 26th FSPCA Webinar, where we will walk you through the new website. The webinar is free and open to the public. Or, take some time to look around on your own. We always welcome your feedback!
Important Note! Hyperlinks to our website have changed with the new website. Redirects are temporarily in place to send users to the correct location within the new FSPCA website. However, we recommend updating any of your saved FSPCA hyperlinks.
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2023 FSPCA Annual Conference | | |
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It’s almost here and it’s in person! This gathering of food safety experts from industry, academia, and government has proven to provide amazing insight into the global food safety environment.
The FSPCA Annual Conference is being held October 17-18 at the Chicago Marriott Southwest in Burr Ridge, IL.
For more information about conference registration, speaker bios, agenda, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit the FSPCA Annual Conference webpage.
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FSPCA Combination Courses and Lead Instructor (LI) Training | | |
Last 2023 FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) v1.2 Lead Instructor Training Course | | |
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The very last 2023 FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food v1.2 Lead Instructor Training course was held virtually August 14 – 18.
The FSPCA now has trained 2,288 of PCHF Lead Instructors since 2016.
The Lead Instructor Course was taught by FSPCA Trainers of Trainers Kathy Gombas and Warren Stone. Jenifer Kane, FSPCA Trainer of Trainers, reviewed FSPCA policies and answered questions on day 5.
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FSPCA is hosting webinars free of charge but space is limited. Sign up early to reserve your seat! Visit the FSPCA website for more information.
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Public webinar presentations are recorded and available on FSPCA’s website post-event
- Lead Instructor webinar presentations are recorded and available on the FSPCA Lead Instructor Portals
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The Preventive Controls for Human Foods Curriculum Update Completes First Pilot | | |
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The pilot of the updated Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCHF) curriculum was completed in August at the Institute for Food Safety and Health campus. Plenty of valuable suggestions were provided by the invited attendees and these are currently under review by the PCHF Curriculum Update Team.
The post-pilot evaluation results submitted thus far rated the overall curriculum as an improvement over the previous version (6.0 on a scale of 0 to 7 as high) with similar rating for the ability of the updated curriculum to convey necessary learning concepts. Modifications to the lower rated chapters are expected to improve overall curriculum ratings even more.
FDA review is the next step and timing will be based on the FDA reviewer scheduling. During the FDA review period the FSPCA Implementation team will also begin developing the Version 2 refresher training for Lead Instructors. More information will be forthcoming over the next few months.
In terms of timing, it is likely the curriculum will be updated by the beginning of next year.
FSPCA PCHF V2.0 FAQs: For more information on the FSPCA PCHF V2.0 Curriculum Update, please visit the FSPCA website.
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FSPCA Presents at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Food Safety Cooperation Forum | | |
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During the virtual APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum held on August 16-17, 2023, Jason Wan, Ph.D. presented an overview of FSPCA’s mission to develop curricula, and training and outreach programs to support compliance with the prevention-oriented standards of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
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FSPCA Director, Jason Wan, Ph.D. Named Recipient of the 2023 Darsh Wasan Food Safety Award | | |
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FSPCA Director, Dr. Jason Wan, is named the recipient of this year’s Darsh Wasan Food Safety Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions in food safety and health across government, academia, and industry, including those through his roles with FSPCA.
More on this award is available on Illinois Tech Today.
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FDA FSMA Related Announcements | | |
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FDA Announces Public Meeting to Modernize Recalls of FDA-Regulated Commodities
The FDA is hosting a free hybrid public meeting entitled “Modernizing Food and Drug Administration Recalls Listening Session” on September 29, 2023. This listening session provides an opportunity for stakeholders to share information and feedback about topics related to recall modernization, for FDA-regulated products.
New FDA VQIP Resource
The FDA Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) enables importers to expedite the review and importation of foods by demonstrating a high level of control over the safety and security of their supply chains. To help you understand the eligibility criteria and answer questions you may have before submitting your application, FDA created a new resource, Preparing for the FDA Voluntary Qualified Importer Program.
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Published by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance | | | | |
