CAC Offers Lessons To Be Learned In Understanding Global Food Safety

By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online

Numerous free resources are available to provide food safety training and education to all facets of food processing facilities, here is just one of them

Training costs are a major concern as food processors rush to implement new practices and procedures necessary to comply with FSMA. Ultimately, the goal is to have a globally-friendly food safety alliance, ensuring the safest food supply chain possible.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have developed the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) to cultivate global food safety guidelines under the jointly-run Food Standards Programme.  As part of this effort, Codex has made available a free-of-charge E-Learning Course to all who may have a vested interest in the knowledge. The scientific basis for its standards is provided by the FAO/WHO programs on food safety, while the course itself provides guidance on adopting these standards. The program is designed to benefit:

• Representatives of the food industry
• Consumer groups
• Government officials
• National Codex Contact Points
• Codex Observer organizations
• Beneficiaries of the FAO/WHO Trust Fund for Participation in Codes

Also available on a hard-copy CD, free of charge, the E-Learning Course is easily accessed online. Following the links, I was able to quickly sign up and was able to verify that it is, in fact, free. The self-paced course consists of:

• 13 lessons, amounting to about ten hours of instruction
• Interactive step-by-step instructions to achieve specific learning objectives
• Access to a technical glossary of Codex definitions and specific term search capability
• Documents relevant to the CAC
• Asynchronous methodology with graphic case studies, assignments, animated screens, interactive exams, and supportive feedback

Both FAO and WHO are dedicated to improving the “safety and quality of food at all stages of the food supply chain.” Although FSMA governs only the U.S. food supply chain, importers and exporters across the world are being held to higher standards. Whether it is one ingredient or a whole slew of ingredients, food processors are, in all likelihood, receiving imported products. It is important to have a knowledgeable handle on the global food safety issue as it pertains to the current and future food safety regulations in the US.

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Motivated employees will appreciate the opportunity to learn about the big picture — the global future of the food supply chain. As an employer, a self-paced educational course of this kind, will give an insight into who is passionate about food safety. Food processors can make it mandatory, but are much more likely to identify those who really want to learn by providing the information and seeing who takes the challenge. That is the person who may be able to take charge of the food safety initiatives within your organization.