FSMA PCQI training

Hello,

Does anyone have any recommendations for the Preventive Controls Qualified Training classes? I really want to know from anyone that has attended a training and if they would recommend this.

I have been working on cGMPs and HACCP for the past 2.5 years and have HACCP certification. I have also worked in the production side of food many years as well. 

Thanks for your feedback,

Blake

 The truth is if you have been in the food industry for long and have kept yourself well informed and up to date, you know most of the stuff if not all and you might come out of the training relieved that your programs are already inline with the requirements and just need a little but of finessing. The training reiterates what you know and encourages discussion with others in the industry. Its kind of a refresher and definitely helpful.

There is no need to have a trained PCQI if there are individuals who are subject matter experts based on qualification and experience within your company. There are various resources for PCQI training, IIT being one of them.

I went to AIB and it was informative.  What no one seems to know, however, is what enforcement will look like (i.e., what will the interpretation be and what will the agents and agency do with that interpretation).

Hi, 

I also went to the training, but was probably more informative because of the mix of areas of expertise represented in the class. The entire participant manual is available free online for download for your reference.  

Lmarsh16

 The truth is if you have been in the food industry for long and have kept yourself well informed and up to date, you know most of the stuff if not all and you might come out of the training relieved that your programs are already inline with the requirements and just need a little but of finessing. The training reiterates what you know and encourages discussion with others in the industry. Its kind of a refresher and definitely helpful.

There is no need to have a trained PCQI if there are individuals who are subject matter experts based on qualification and experience within your company. There are various resources for PCQI training, IIT being one of them.

I agree with bnue that if you have been in the industry ​​for long and kept yourself informed that a lot of it will sound very familiar. She and lmarsh16 hit it on the head that you learn a lot from the input of others in varying fields & processes across the industry. Also, if you've been doing HACCP for only 2.5 years, I would recommend it because there's no telling if the FDA would consider you qualified through job experience at this point (This is not an attack on your level of skill, but a matter of fact that we can't predict the FDA's judgement of "qualified through experience" - I was in the same boat!) The FDA does state in PC.5 of this quick guide that if not qualified through experience that you have completed formal training in the application of HARPC.

Yes, it is repetitive, but you will probably learn at least a few things regarding the rule you didn't know and possibly make some more industry connections. Also, PCQI is showing up on a lot more job applications now as either 'desired' or 'required'. If you can get your employer to fund it (and they should, considering FDA requires a 'qualified' individual) then do it!

I went to the NSF training course that was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA).  This is one of the approved FDA courses to make you an FDA recognized PCQI.  As previously mentioned, you would have to PROVE to the FDA during an inspection that you are qualified through experience.  So how would you do this and how would the FDA judge it?  Really tough to say at this point.

If you have the means I would highly recommend going to one of the course, but make sure it is an approved FSPCA course that is recognized by the FDA otherwise you are wasting your money because you won't be seen as a recognized PCQI individual.

I talked with someone at a university who is regarded as a food safety expert - he STRONGLY recommended taking the PCQI training, because, as he put it, most people are unlikely to be able to prove that they have sufficient expertise/experience/training IN FSMA-SPECIFIC ELEMENTS, because some of them are new and/or modified from other food safety schemes, including HACCP.

I also would highly recommend attending the class if you can.  When I took the class about half the people in attendance were from the FDA so they could become familiar with the new requirements. The FDA has made it very grey as to what qualifies a person, but if you take the class there will be no doubts, and there is a lot of good information and forms you can use to help you on the road to becoming FSMA compliant.  Also the training materials are a very good reference source.  So yes, by all means take the class, just make sure you get one that was designed by the FSPCA.

Good point, Jus'me - I took an FSPCA PCQI course, and I returned to work afterward and used my training book (along with numerous notes I made during the course of the training) to update/correct/change a number of our SQF documents to ensure compliance with FSMA requirements.  The class was informative, and the book is invaluable!

Brian

I've just completed the course and it is well worth doing as the regs are huge and all encompassing.

It is better if you go through the FSPCA courses, there is a large number of people doing trainings.

The approved curriculum is good, and if you have beend oing HACCP should be quite straightforward

It depends where you are, you should be able to find one withitn the next quarter.  Otherwise look for online training.