The courses address the latest Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements.
Alchemy provides training for the food industry, and this particular library has 140 courses, including pasteurization, milk receiving processes, bacteria basics, and promoting dairy hygiene.
The company said the complete dairy library also includes 129 additional courses on warehousing and driver food safety, workplace safety and human resources.
Keeping up with regulations
“Dairy processors need training and communications programs that help them meet FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCHF), GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) updates, and the PMO (Pasteurized Milk Ordinance),” senior product manager for Alchemy, Holly Mockus, said.
Mockus said Alchemy’s training course library was design to be “up in front” of the regulations, and it has a tool that plugs into PowerPoint so dairy companies can customize those courses for their employees and circumstances.
Mockus has over 30 years of experience in the food industry where she has held positions in food safety, quality assurance, sanitation and plant regulatory affairs.
New regulations affect Grade “A” milk and milk product facilities operating under the PMO, according to Alchemy, and they will have until Sept. 17, 2018, to implement changes that will align the PMO with the FDA’s final Preventive Controls Rule under the FSMA.
Records showing that employees have been training on food safety topics will need to be maintained on file by the company, and be readily accessible for FDA review during an inspection, Alchemy said.
Access to courses
Mockus told DairyReporter that Alchemy’s training course library was designed to be ahead of the regulations, and it has a tool that plugs into PowerPoint so dairy companies can customize courses for their employees.
Dairy workers can access Alchemy’s training materials online as eLearning, or can be given a hand-held device to interact with the training content as learners answer knowledge check questions, according to the company.
“It allows a blended learning approach: you can have someone who facilitates, or you can have the ability to stop the training to ask questions and have a conversation,” Mockus said.
In addition to the library, which is Alchemy’s major platform, the company also offers other tools, such as digital signage, huddle guides and posters for reinforcement of important training topics.