/EINPresswire.com/ -- ROSEMONT, IL--(Marketwired - Feb 16, 2017) - The Food Safety Summit will kick off on Monday, May 8^th with six certification courses focused on Produce Safety, Seafood HACCP, Preventive Controls for Animal Food, Foreign Supplier Verification, Preventive Controls for Human Foods and Auditor Training. These important courses will be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois during the 19^th Annual Food Safety Summit being held Monday, May 8 - Thursday, May 11. This must attend event is for producers, processors, retailers, wholesalers, foodservice administrators, controllers and the community offers an informational based gathering and expo intended to meet the instructive and educational needs of the industry.

"The Food Safety Summit seeks to help advance knowledge among the food industry to meet FSMA requirements and to help all members of the food industry get the training they need to do their jobs," said Scott Wolters, Director, Tradeshows and Conferences, BNP Media, producers of the Food Safety Summit. "For the 2017 Summit, we are working with leading subject matter experts to offer six FSPCA, AFDO and NEHA certification courses. Attendees to these programs will also have access to the full Summit program."

Seating for each certification course is limited, and all are expected to sell out, early registration is strongly encouraged. Click here to register for the following Certification and Training Courses. All courses begin on Monday, May 8^th and vary in length.

• NEW - Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training - This course will provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices and co-management information, FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements, and details on how to develop a farm food safety plan. This course satisfies the FSMA Produce Safety Rule training requirement outlined in 112.22(c) and, after attending the course, participants will receive a certificate of course attendance from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO).
• NEW - Preventive Controls for Animal Food - This course is being made available in response to the Food and Drug Administration's final rule issued for Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals. Completing this course meets the FSMA requirements for a PCQI. Under the rule, covered animal food facilities are required to establish and implement an animal food safety system that includes an analysis of hazards and implementation of risk-based preventive controls.
• NEW - FSPCA Foreign Supplier Verification Programs Training - Importers have precious little time to design, test and implement a Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). Waiting to create a comprehensive FSVP could result in disruption of the supply chain, delays in entry processing, and in some cases, the exclusion of products from the U.S. marketplace. This course is a two-day standardized, training curriculum that will provide participants with an understanding of the requirements of the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs rule for importers of food for humans and animals.
• Preventive Controls for Human Foods - The regulation requires that certain activities, including the creation and implementation of a Food Safety Plan with risk-based Preventive Controls, must be completed by a "preventive controls qualified individual" (PCQI). An easy way to become a PCQI is to successfully complete training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls. This course, developed by the FSPCA, is the "standardized curriculum" recognized by FDA and successfully completing this course meets the FSMA requirements for a "preventive controls qualified individual".
• Professional Food Safety Auditor Training - This course is designed to strengthen and enhance the skills, knowledge and critical thinking behaviors attributed to a qualified food safety auditor in the post FSMA environment. All course participants will receive a Certificate of Completion from NEHA.
• Seafood HACCP - Segment 2 - This one-day Segment Two course is required to receive a Certificate of Course Completion from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) to demonstrate that participants meet the training requirement of the FDA Seafood HACCP regulation CFR Part 123.10. This training sequence is equivalent to the training received by attending a standard "live" three-day Alliance training course. Attendees must first complete the Segment One Internet Training Course provided by Cornell University.

In addition to the certification programs there will be several hands-on learning opportunities in four half-day workshops, which allows for more extensive and interactive education with expert panelists and industry peers. Workshops on Tuesday, May 9^th include The Latest in Listeria Control; Preventive Controls and Sanitary Food Transportation Act (SFTA): The Basics and Sustainment; A Guide to Success as a Food Safety Professional; and Integrated Food Safety System Update. Attendees will then have access to 20+ education sessions, access to the exhibit hall, and networking events. Registration is open and the full conference program is now available live at www.foodsafetysummit.com. 

About the Food Safety Summit
The Food Safety Summit is a solutions-based conference and expo designed to meet the educational and informational needs of the food industry including growers, processors, retailers, distributors, foodservice operators, regulators and academia. The event will be held Monday May 8 through Thursday, May 11, 2017 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The event is produced by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving professionals across 50+ industries. Details and registration information are available at www.foodsafetysummit.com.