Before a bowl of clam chowder or a freshly grilled swordfish steak ends up on a restaurant diner's plate, specially trained seafood handlers will eliminate risk of contamination or hazards that could cause illness.
Three-day training courses take place at the Connecticut or Rhode Island Sea Grant offices. Completion of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) classes are required by a 1997 Food and Drug Administration regulation. Back at their workplaces, participants write site-specific plans to reduce potential seafood safety hazards for their products, applying HACCP principles.
The training certifies 75 to 100 seafood processors and regulators each year, and has trained more than 2,000 individuals over the past 20 years. Participants build experience developing plans for different seafood products as a group exercise to help them immediately apply what they learn once they return to their own businesses.
Read more at the University of Connecticut's web page.
Contact: Stacey Stearns, University of Connecticut.
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