30B-6 |
HACCP for child nutrition programs |
M. A. SWANSON and V. S. Webb. National Food Service Management Institute, Univ. of Mississippi, PO Drawer 188, Oxford, MS 38677-0188 In less than 40 years, HACCP has expanded from a special system for ensuring the safety of food for astronauts to a system used daily in foodservice. Increasing numbers of school foodservice professionals are voluntarily using HACCP to ensure that food served to students is safe. Access to training and materials designed for the school foodservice audience ranges from very limited to non-existent. The objective of the National Food Service Management Institute was to develop an instructor network knowledgeable about HACCP to provide training for Child Nutrition Programs (CNP). Materials were developed showing how HACCP could be part of CNP. Three separate manuals provide information for the Instructor, Food Service Director, and/or Employee. The Instructor Manual includes suggested lesson plans, materials needed, and answers to the exercises. Slides and a video accompany the Instructor Manual. State agencies administering CNP submitted names of potential instructors. Selected HACCP instructors had to attend a two day Orientation to HACCP Training in order to receive the training materials. After completion of the HACCP Training, State agencies could then request funding for the instructors to provide local training. Participation at each Orientation to HACCP Training was limited to 40 participants. Four orientation sessions were conducted during Spring 2001. Due to demand, two additional sessions were conducted in November 2001 and January 2002. Over 200 HACCP instructors have been oriented to the materials. These trained HACCP instructors are now providing local training in over 20 states. Instructors include state CNP staff, local food service directors and managers, sanitarians, Cooperative Extension staff, university faculty, and independent consultants. Participants in the local trainings include school food service directors, managers, technicians, and a variety of food production staff. These results indicate that interest in training and implementation of HACCP in school foodservice is increasing.
Session 30B, Education
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