Managing risk is paramount for fresh produce packers. This 2.5 day course will seek to provide pertinent information for the control and elimination of foodborne pathogens within the packinghouse. Come learn from experts in the field about foodborne pathogens of interest for environmental monitoring programs, principles behind hygienic management of packinghouses, hygienic design of equipment, and steps involved with developing, implementing and responding to an environmental monitoring program within your facility. We have filled this course with opportunities for hands-on experiences to aid in your learning.
Who should attend?
Individuals who are working or managing fresh fruit and vegetable packers, especially those with food safety, quality assurance or compliance roles.
Cost to Attend
Total cost is $100. Funding from the WSDA (Grant #5U18005913-03) greatly reduced the cost of training.
Includes materials, certificate, lunches and refreshments.
Instructors
Dr. Faith Critzer: Produce Safety Extension Specialist and an Associate Professor at Washington State University
Dr. Mark Morgan: Professor of Food Engineering at the University of Tennessee Department of Food Science
Dr. Valentina Trinetta: Assistant Professor at Kansas State University within the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry
Cancellation
Cancellations will be accepted until 10 days to the course, and the registration fee, less the cancellation fee $20 will be refunded. After that time, no refunds will be made for cancellations.
Substitutions
Substitutions are accepted at any time. Please email Cathy Blood, blood@wsu.edu.
Payments
Payments must be made prior to the start of the training. Check payments must be sent to our office before the start of the training:
Washington State University
Attn: Cathy Blood
PO Box 646376
Pullman, WA 99164-6376
We accept Visa and Mastercard when paying online.
Instructors: Dr. Faith Critzer, Dr. Mark Morgan, and Dr. Valentina Trinetta
| Day 1 | |
| 9:00-9:30 | Registration |
| 9:30-10:00 | Welcome and introductions |
| 10:00-10:45 | Why do we need an Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)? |
| 10:45-11:00 | Break |
| 11:00-12:00 | An introduction to foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms commonly targeted in produce packing facilities for EMPs |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00-2:00 | Sanitary design for packinghouses- principles, processing plant layout and flow |
| 2:00-2:15 | Break |
| 2:15-3:30 | Sanitary design for processing equipment |
| 3:30-4:30 | Breakout session- evaluating sanitary design principles of produce packing equipment |
| 4:30-5:00 | Reports for breakout session and wrap-up day 1 |
| Day 2 | |
| 9:00-10:30 | Where do I start? Developing an environmental monitoring program sampling plan |
| 10:30-10:45 | Break |
| 10:45-12:00 | Breakout session- hands-on introduction to sampling methodologies |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00-3:30 | Breakout session- methods to detect and enumerate common indicator organisms |
| 3:30-3:45 | Break |
| 3:45-5:00 | Evaluating environmental monitoring data |
| Day 3 | |
| 9:00-10:30 | Breakout session- interpreting results from swabbing exercise |
| 10:30-10:45 | Break |
| 10:45-11:45 | Environmental monitoring program corrective actions |
| 11:45-12:00 | Course evaluation and adjourn |
Additional Information
For questions related to registering for the course, please contact:
Cathy Blood, Events Coordinator, blood@wsu.edu, 509-335-2845
For any other questions, please contact:
Faith Critzer, Produce Safety Extension Specialist, faith.critzer@wsu.edu, 509-786-9203