Upcoming Events

Interested in leadership development? Interested in intellectual and emotional growth? Interested to learn more about working in diverse teams? The Department of Food Science invites undergraduates and graduate students to apply for the 2020 Food Science Leadership Academy.

The Foreign Supplier Verification Workshop provides the credentials to meet FDA requirements for development and implementation of the Foreign Supplier Verification Program as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations. This 2 course was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, a broad-based public private alliance created by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) in cooperation with the Association of Food and Drug Officials. This course is presented by Lead Instructors from Penn State.

This course covers the fundamentals of assessing and managing the risk associated with intentional contamination in food manufacturing facilities. The course looks at preventive strategies, vulnerability assessments, and the development of a Food Defense Plan for the facility. Crisis management and product recall procedures are also discussed in the event a situation occurs.

The Preventive Controls for Human Foods Certification Workshop provides the credentials to meet FDA requirements for development and implementation of HACCP based systems as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations. This 2 1/2 day course was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, a broad-based public private alliance created by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) in cooperation with the Association of Food and Drug Officials. This course is presented by certified Penn State instructors.

The Better Process Control School (BPCS) is a 2-4 day school designed for manufacturers of shelf stable, acidified and low acidified foods (including pet foods). U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations in 21 CFR 108, 113, and 114 require that acidified and low acid food manufacturers operate with a certified supervisor on hand at all times during production. This BPCS also meets U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations 9 CFR 318.300 and 381.300 for shelf stable, thermally processed meat and poultry products.

This course is now offered as Salumi 101 through the American Meat Science Association. The workshop covers the fundamentals of manufacturing Italian processed meat items by combining old-world artisanal methods with modern food safety technology. The course provides the participant with both hands-on experience and scientific theory in producing safe, high quality processed meats.

This 2.5 day workshop addresses the basic principles of sensory science from discrimination and acceptance testing to good laboratory procedures to the theoretical underpinnings for these practices.

Fundamentals of HACCP is a 2 day basic course in HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) taught by certified instructors with extensive experience in food safety training. Particular emphasis is on FDA regulated food products including fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (and mushrooms), juice and cider, baked goods, confections, snack foods, and egg and dairy products. This course is certified through International HACCP Alliance. This course incorporates regulations as currently proposed through FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act).

This course covers the fundamentals of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) and the application in meat and poultry processing operations. It provides the participant with hands-on experience in developing a HACCP plan. This course is certified by the International HACCP Alliance and meets USDA requirements for HACCP training.

The Preventive Controls for Human Foods Certification Workshop provides approved training (FSPCA certificate) to meet FDA requirements for PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) for the development and implementation of HACCP based systems as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations. Often referred to as HARPC, this 2 ½ day course was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, a broad-based alliance in cooperation with the FDA. This course is presented by FSPCA approved instructors from Penn State.

The Food Microbiology Short course provides insight into the most recent developments of food-borne pathogens, toxins, and contaminants that may occur in a food plant environment. The short course is delivered in classroom and laboratory environments and includes a mixture of theory, demonstrations, and practical sessions on the fundamentals of food microbiology and food safety. Attendees can develop a detailed understanding of the methods used to isolate important spoilage microorganisms and food-borne pathogens and the role of food microbiologist in ensuring safe food products.

A 2.5 day workshop that addresses principles of packaging science including legal and safety aspects, packaging functions and requirements, types of packaging materials, modified atmosphere packaging, active packaging, packaging for emerging processing technologies, shelf life and package testing among other relevant topics. The course involves theory, demonstrations and hands-on experiences along with presentations by packaging industry representatives.

This course teaches core concepts of Food Science. It is designed for technical personnel from other disciplines (chemistry, biology, engineering) and nontechnical personnel who have little or no experience in the food industry. You will learn vocabulary associated with food science and manufacturing, and learn the core principles of food chemistry, engineering, microbiology, nutrition, sensory science, and packaging taught in the context of real-world food examples.