HACCP Pilot Program Extended; NCIMS Calls for Dairy Plant Volunteers
IDFA HACCP Certification Program Offers Training Recommended by NCIMS

During a recent meeting, the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) approved an extension of its HACCP pilot program for dairy plants. This HACCP pilot program, which began in 1999, evaluates HACCP as a voluntary, alternative food safety system to the existing Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) program. The Phase II program extension will build on the success of the initial HACCP pilot program, which collected information on six dairy plants using HACCP. The call for more Grade "A" dairy plant volunteers has already resulted in 15 new plants being added to the program. A second request for more volunteer plants is now being made, and interested plants can contact IDFA Director of Regulatory Affairs Allen Sayler at asayler@idfa.org, 202/220-3544.

NCIMS also recently reaffirmed its commitment to dairy HACCP with the hosting of a week-long training session in January for volunteering plant personnel and government regulators in Baltimore. IDFA was a key participant in the development and presentation of the training. The training used the "Dairy HACCP Core Curriculum" and a "Dairy Plant Auditing Curriculum", much of which is based on IDFA's Dairy HACCP training manual. The new IDFA HACCP Certification Program, with its NCIMS-accepted dairy plant HACCP training, can be used to qualify for entry into the NCIMS pilot program. As a first step within IDFA's program, the HACCP Short Course for Fluid Milk and Juice Plants will be held on April 3-5, 2002, in St. Louis, Mo. Click here for complete schedule information.

The IDFA HACCP Certification Program, launched in January, is designed to provide a comprehensive HACCP certification and training program that will allow dairy and juice manufacturers to fully meet the regulatory requirements for U.S. processing plants. IDFA is offering the program as a one stop resource for the industry on HACCP expertise and implementation. The program includes workshops, training materials and audits. To find out more about the IDFA HACCP Certification Program, click here. ###

Posted March 11, 2002