As of this month, 200 ethanol plant employees have been trained under the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventive Controls for Animal Food program. The latest course was held in St. Louis earlier this month.
The training program is based on a curriculum developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) and is facilitated by RFA Director of Regulatory Affairs, Kelly Davis, and Matt Frederking of Ralco Nutrition. Participants who have successfully completed the courses were designated as Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals (PCQIs).
RFA initiated its series of FSMA training in 2016 to prepare the entire ethanol industry for the initial major compliance dates for the preventive controls rules under FSMA that began on Sept. 19, 2016. On that date larger animal food facilities were required to meet baseline Current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements (CGMPs) for producing safe animal food.
Over the series, RFA has conducted five 20-hour courses across the Corn Belt to demystify the regulatory requirements, training a total of 200 ethanol industry employees. The PCQIs trained by RFA have come from 74 companies across 21 U.S. states and Canada.