NDSU, the North Dakota Trade Office and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture are hosting two half-day seminars to help people in the food industry learn about the Food Safety Modernization Act and how it will impact their company or organization.
One seminar is scheduled for Monday, April 8, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center, 663 U.S. Highway 281 N. The other seminar is scheduled for Friday, April 12, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds, 1805 Main Ave. W., West Fargo.
To register for Navigating the Food Safety Modernization Act seminar, go to the North Dakota Trade Office website at http://tinyurl.com/foodsafetyseminar.
The seminar is free. No meals or refreshments will be provided. The registration deadline is April 5.
The act is intended to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it. The act gives the Food and Drug Administration new and enhanced mandates and authorities to protect consumers and promote public health.
The seminar will include a review of the act and expected business practices, a discussion of industry expectations and information on documenting business practices, plus other training resources available on this topic in North Dakota.
The seminar also will include a detailed discussion on two rules the Food and Drug Administration is proposing for the Food Safety Modernization Act. One rule is on current good manufacturing practices, hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for human food. The other is on standards for growing, harvesting, packing and holding produce for human consumption. The administration is seeking public comment on these proposed rules.
For more information about the act and the two proposed rules, visit www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/fsma/default.htm.
To learn more about the seminar, contact David Saxowsky, NDSU, at 701-231-7470 or david.saxowsky@ndsu.edu; Stephanie Sinner, North Dakota Department of Agriculture, at 701-239-7211 or ssinner@nd.gov; or Lindsey Warner, North Dakota Trade Office, at 701-231-1154 or lindsey@ndto.com.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.
