How long will it take me to complete the online HACCP course?

The course will take approximately 8 - 12 hours, depending on how long a student spends reviewing each page and working on the practice exercises.

What are the requirements for HACCP training in the food processing environment?

Current federal requirements for HACCP training stipulate that the individual developing, reassessing, and modifying the HACCP plan must have successfully completed a course of instruction in the application of the seven HACCP principles for:

• Meat or poultry product processing, including a segment on the development of a HACCP plan for a specific product and on record review (USDA/FSIS),
• Fish and fishery products (FDA) and/or
• Juice products (FDA).

FDA's regulations also require the person doing the record review to be a trained individual, and FSIS recommends this. FDA's HACCP rules for seafood and juice also state that job experience (that provides knowledge at least equivalent to that provided in a standardized curriculum) may qualify an individual to perform these functions in lieu of attending a HACCP training course.

There are no federally mandated requirements in any of the HACCP regulations for "certification" per se. However, having a certificate of completion of a course of instruction in application of the HACCP principles can be used to demonstrate compliance with the training requirement of the regulations.

Will I be "HACCP certified" after completing your online course?

No. To receive a certificate demonstrating you have completed the appropriate HACCP training as required by federal regulations, you must complete a GMA course that involves the development of a simple HACCP plan based on generic process flow diagrams. This process entails a one-day GMA instructor-led course. For a schedule of instructor-led classes go to: http://www.gmaonline.org/forms/MeetingCalendar/.

Does each course provide a certificate upon completion that I may keep for my records?

Yes, you will be prompted to print a certificate after completion of the online HACCP course. The certificate indicates you have completed the course and is for record keeping purposes only; it does not result in a certificate issued by the International HACCP Alliance. To receive a certificate that indicates you have met the regulatory training requirements you must attend an additional one-day GMA course that applies what you have learned in the online course to the development of a HACCP plan, as indicated above.

What distinguishes GMA online and instructor-led HACCP training?

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has long been recognized by both the industry and regulators as an authority in industry-focused education and training. GMA has been a leader in HACCP-based approaches to food safety for decades. GMA's 100 years of working with the food processing industry and the regulatory agencies has resulted in institutional knowledge that far exceeds that of other providers of similar training. GMA's training, accredited by the International HACCP Alliance, has an outstanding reputation with industry and regulators and contains up-to-date information of importance to the industry, including many regulatory nuances not found anywhere else.