Food Industry-focused Trainings and Workshops

The legal requirements for running a food business are complicated and ever changing. If you are in this sector, no one knows this better than you. Penn State Extension is here to help. The Industry-Focused Trainings and Workshops Guide is a definitive, easy to use, one-stop-shop reference for the trainings and certifications you need to protect your workforce and your customers and stay compliant.

Food Science Certificate Program

This program provides food industry professionals with educational opportunities in food safety or food processing and technology and prepares food industry professionals for career advancement opportunities.

The Penn State Food Science Certificate Program is a way for participants who attend our regularly offered short courses and workshops to show evidence of continuing education in food science and food safety. The program is a sequence of outreach classes that provide students with core competencies in specific areas. As a participant in the program, you can earn Penn State non-credit continuing education units (CEU) in a relatively short time that will help you to meet your professional development goals.

• Only prerequisite is prior food industry work experience
• Learn from faculty and staff experts committed to your success
• Emphasis on hands-on activities for applying theory to real-world applications

Choose from three certificate options:

• Food Safety Certificate Commodity: dairy, meat, produce
• Food Processing and Technology Certificate Specialties: dairy, meat, produce
• Dual Certificate - Food Safety / Food Processing and Technology

Better Process Control School

This course meets U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) regulations 9 CFR 318.300 and 381.300 for shelf-stable, thermally processed meat and poultry products. Upon successful completion of the course, each participant will receive a certificate that can be used as evidence of knowledge in thermal processing systems, acidification, and container closure evaluation programs for low-acid and acidified canned foods.

Foreign Supplier Verification Workshop

Two-day course provides instruction into the development of a Supplier Verification Program as required by FDA as part of Food Safety Modernization Act. Participants will learn the key elements of the Supplier Verifications Program -the hazard analysis, supplier evaluation and approval, importer identification, and record keeping.

Fundamentals of HACCP

This is a 2-day basic course in HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) with emphasis on FDA regulated food products including fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (and mushrooms), juice and cider, baked goods, confections, snack foods, and egg and dairy products. This course is certified through International HACCP Alliance. This course incorporates regulations as currently proposed through FSMA.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) for Meat and Poultry Processors

Instruction covers fundamentals of HACCP with application in meat and poultry processing operations. The course provides participants with hands-on experience in developing a HACCP plan. Meets USDA requirements for HACCP training for fresh and further-processed meat and poultry processors.

Hazard Analysis and Preventive Controls Workshop for Small-Scale Dairy Processors

This one-day workshop provides resources and hands-on experience in preparing documents for a food safety plan. This course is intended for small-scale dairy food processors that are exempt from having a full food safety plan prepared by a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) as required by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This is not a PCQI certification course.

Preventive Controls for Human Foods Certification Workshop

This 2.5-day course provides instruction into the development of a Food Safety Plan as required by FDA as part of Food Safety Modernization Act. Participants will learn the key elements of a food safety plan, how to conduct a hazard analysis for biological, chemical, and physical hazards, how to develop and implement risk based preventive controls (process, sanitation, allergen, and supplier) along with the appropriate verification and validation procedures and understand the requirements of a recall plan.

Preventive Controls for Animal Food

This course provides instruction on the development of an Animal Feed Safety Plan, as required by FDA as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act. Participants will learn the key elements of a food safety plan, how to conduct a hazard analysis for biological, chemical, and physical hazards, how to develop and implement risk-based preventive controls (process, sanitation, and supplier), along with the appropriate verification and validation procedures, and understand the requirements of a recall plan.

Two Options

• In-class - 2.5 day
• Blended Course - Online and In-class

Preventive Controls for Human Foods - Dairy Foods Processing

In addition to the Food Safety and Preventive Controls Alliance curriculum, this 3-day course will cover typical hazards associated with dairy processing, use dairy product examples for all breakout work groups, and discuss the transition from the PMO Appendix K HACCP system to a FSMA Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Prevent Control system.

Food Defense: Developing a Food Defense Plan for Your Operation

This course covers the fundamentals of assessing and managing the risk associated with intentional contamination in food manufacturing facilities. The course looks at preventive strategies, vulnerability assessments, and the development of a Food Defense Plan for the facility.

Food Safety and Sanitation for Food Manufacturers

This course covers the essentials of sanitation practices that prevent food contamination in commercial food facilities.

Two Options

• In-class - 2.5 day
• Online

Food Microbiology Short Course

3-day course providing insight into the most recent developments of food-borne pathogens, toxins, and contaminants that may occur in a food plant environment.

Food and Airborne Fungi and Mycotoxin Short Course

3-day course designed to introduce participants to a basic understanding of molds, yeasts and mycotoxins that may occur in foods and in processing environments.

Listeria Control in Fresh and Minimally Processed Produce

1-day course provides a basic understanding of Listeria with particular focus on its importance in fresh and minimally processed produce. Sources of Listeria and mechanisms for controlling it in food packing, storage, and fresh-cut processing operations will be discussed.

Mushroom Food Safety

1/2-day seminar focusing on the food safety risks associated with the production of whole and sliced mushrooms and control measures that prevent these risks. It provides basic information on the pathogenic microorganisms associated with mushrooms, personnel and facility control measures, sanitation, and testing.

Dairy Basics: Fundamentals of Quality and Safety

1-day workshop addresses the principles of producing high quality and safe dairy foods. Participants in this workshop will gain knowledge of milk properties and practices that are important to producing quality dairy products.

Pasteurizer Operators Workshop

Participants in this 3-day course will gain knowledge on the operational and regulatory procedures used for pasteurization, with an emphasis on milk. The course focuses on the components of the HTST system, and addresses vat pasteurization and UHT processing.

Penn State Cultured Dairy Products

This course provides participants with an overview of basic dairy technology and the manufacture of cultured dairy products, including buttermilk, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, and cream cheese.

The Science and Art of Cheese Making Short Course

4-day course covers the materials and processes used to make specialty cheese for farmstead and artisan dairy processors and others interested in cheese.

Penn State - Ingredion Plant Based Yogurt Alternative Short Course

In this 3-day course, the class participants will be able to understand the difference and challenges in formulating yogurt alternatives versus traditional yogurts, understand the breadth and functionality or plant-proteins that are available for formulation, and take away a toolbox of solutions to formulating and processing in the yogurt alternative space.

Ice Cream Short Course

This course is a legend in the world of ice cream. Learn the ins and outs of ice cream manufacturing as knowledgeable instructors take you from "Cow to Cone."

Penn State Chocolate Short Course

4-day course covering the theory and practice of chocolate production from the selection of raw materials through the marketing of finished product.

Traditional Italian Processed Meats Workshop

This workshop covers the fundamentals of manufacturing Italian processed meat items by combining old-world artisanal methods with modern food safety technology.

Food Packaging Short Course

2.5-day course addresses principles of packaging science including legal and safety aspects, packaging functions and requirements, types of packaging materials, modified atmosphere packaging, active packaging, packaging for emerging processing technologies, shelf life and package testing among other relevant topics.

Sanitary Transport of Foods - Online Training for Food Carriers, Loaders, and Unloaders

Learn how to safely transport food in all stages of the transportation process including regulations, hazards associated with food during transportation, basic safety procedures, and company procedures and documentation.

Intro to Descriptive Analysis Short Course

This course addresses everything you need to know about descriptive analysis. The first day and a half will focus on what, why, and how to conduct descriptive analysis. The optional last half day will feature a Compusense data workshop covering panelist assessment and training using their Feedback Calibration Method and Descriptive Analysis Workbook.