On behalf of the University of Idaho and TechHelp I would like to thank our Sponsors, Presenters and Attendees who made the 2011 NW GFSI Workshop so successful and fun. Thanks also to the staff at the DoubleTree Riverside Hotel for the great facilities, food and service.

You can see some pictures from the conference here. Attendees will be treated to daily continental breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks as well as an opening night reception and the Idaho Food Fest the evening of day two.

GFSI is a non-profit organization run by the Consumer Goods Forum that has established a “master” guideline against which new audit “schemes” or standards have been developed. These schemes include SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000 (ISO 22000), PrimusGFS and others. Major retailers and food service operators in the USA and internationally are increasingly requiring their suppliers to comply with one of the GFSI standards. GFSI standards are complex, demanding, and require a significant investment in time and training to implement. (Learn More About GFSI Here)

The goal of our Standards Workshop is to simplify learning about these standards and to take a more industry-specific approach to dairy processors, produce packers, and food manufacturers. We will also provide you with tracks focusing on specific standards. Day 1 is an overview of GFSI and has tracks by industry segment. Day 2 provides participants with core knowledge of the individual GFSI standards in breakout sessions for SQF, BRC, FSSC, and PrimusGFS. On day 3, we will focus on specific HACCP requirements for industry segments and how to go forward implementing GFSI in the plant.

A very brief “state of food safety” will be presented, including our present scoreboard, how the industry is doing in protecting the customer and where trends are taking us in the world of food safety. The CDC now estimates that 3000 die annually from foodborne diseases. Are we doing better as an industry? The FDA is promulgating new regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act that will require HACCP for all processors and authorizes whistle blowers in the food industry! Compliance costs for food regulations and 3^rd party food safety requirements (including GFSI) are increasing, but how much of our new activities will be value-added? While demands are increasing, food startup and small companies are increasingly flying “under the radar.” To top it off, rogue Chinese food processors are adding leather scraps and melamine to dairy products to “boost” protein levels.

Jeff Kronenberg, Food Specialist - TechHelp & the University of Idaho

The Northwest GFSI Standards Workshop is Designed to Meet Your Needs

The Northwest GFSI Standards Workshop offers your team a chance to learn about complex food safety standards in a way that is simple and straight forward. Nationally recognized speakers will break down the knowledge you need to know. Presentations will include interactive exercises to enhance learning. After this training, you will be able to begin implementing one of the GFSI standards for your facility.  

• Do you want to take your food safety and Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) programs to the next level of management?
• Does your company face new customer requirements to implement one of the GFSI Food Safety Standards?
• Passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act combined with increasingly stringent market requirements may eventually require all processors to implement one of the GFSI standards offered in this course. Recent trends show this requirement will reach fresh produce packers in the near future.
• Do you want to learn more about British Retail Consortium (BRC), Safe Quality Food (SQF), and Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000) implementation?

3 levels of participation

• Overview Level - Provides an overview of GFSI for food professionals on Day One, March 22.
• Core Knowledge - Meets on Day One & Two to drill deeper into the nuts and bolts of GFSI. (***see note below)
• Practitioner Level - Meets all three days to provide Practitioners a deep examination of GFSI. (***see note below)
  
   ***Prerequisite Course Work for Core Knowledge & Practitioner Level Attendees:

  To fully benefit from the training, the workshop faculty highly recommend familiarity with a HACCP and food safety prerequisites program body of knowledge. We recommend the following prerequisite education for this body of knowledge:

  1. Participation in a certified HACCP Workshop (accredited by International HACCP Alliance or Association of Food and Drug Officials or equivalent curriculum- usually a 2 to 3 day program), or
  2. Working knowledge of the 1997 NACMCF USDA HACCP Guidelines (link here) and prerequisite food safety programs (GMP’s, Pest Control, Sanitation, Preventive Maintenance, Trace and Recall, etc.)
  3. For those registering for the “Overview Level” (day 1), this previous knowledge is not necessary.

3 Customized Food Industry Segments

• Produce Packers (Potatoes, Onions, Tree Fruit, etc.)
• Dairy Processors
• Food Processors

4 Workshop Learning Tracks

• Safe Quality Food (SQF) Standard
• British Retail Consortium (BRC) Standard
• Food Safety System Certification (FSSC Standard with ISO 22000 + PAS 220)
• PrimusGFS Track

Nationally Recognized Speakers

• Dave Gombas, PhD., Senior VP for Food Safety and Technology, United Fresh Produce Association
• Joan Rosen, Global Director Food Safety, Fresh Express Inc.
• Allen Sayler, VP Food Safety, Technology, & Regulatory Solutions, Randolph Associates Inc. (formerly of IDFA)
• Ron Vail, Director Food Safety Education, AIB International
• Stephanie Lopez, Director Food Safety Education, AIB International  

Subsidized Registration Fee for Idaho Specialty Crop Packers/Processors

• Fresh Potato Packing Houses
• Fresh Onion Packing Houses
• Fresh Fruit Packing Houses
• Pulse (Lentil/Pea/Chickpea) Cleaning & Packaging Operations

Course Work Preparation for the SQF Practitioner Certification

Registration

Register Online Here

Register in Person with Paula Peterman at paulap@uidaho.edu or 208-364-6188 for general information and registration. Visit our Registration Page for the latest registration information.

Registration Options:

• 3 Day - Full Conference Attendee $690.00
  • Send 2 or more Employees from the same Company: $590.00
• 2 Day Conference Attendee $475.00
  • Send 2 or more Employees from the same Company: $400.00
• 1 Day Conference Attendee $250.00
  • Send 2 or more Employees from the same Company: $210.00

Late Registration - Please register by March 14th to avoid a 25% late processing fee.

Packing Operations (Onions, Potatoes, Fruit) and Pulse Processors: ISDA Specialty Crops Grant subsidized rate (call 208-364-6188)

Tax information: The registration fee for the Northwest GFSI Standards Workshop is tax deductible as an educational expense under US Treasury Regulation 1.162.5.

Technical Information

Jeff Kronenberg, Food Processing Specialist
University of Idaho - Extension, School of Food Science and TechHelp Idaho
Phone: 208 364-4937
Cell: 208 867-6477 (cell)
Email: jkron@uidaho.edu