Better Process Control School (BPCS) Training

Course details

Virtual Instructor-Led

September 24-26^th, 2024

Certificate of Completion

The course curriculum is based on the guidelines from the Consumer Brands Association in conjunction with the FDA.

IEH Academy is a recognized BPCS provider. This two or three day food safety training course is offered by IEH’s processing experts who have extensive experience in aseptic, high acid, and retort operations and teaching.

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Course Description

The Better Process Control School (BPCS) provides training to help assure safety and quality for manufacturers of shelf-stable, acidified, and low-acid foods (including pet foods). This course provides instruction that fulfills FDA regulations 21 CFR 108, 113, and 114 which require that each processor of low-acid or acidified foods operate with a certified supervisor on hand at all times during processing, and USDA/FSIS regulations 9 CFR 431 for thermally processed meat and poultry products.

Date and Registration Fees

Acidified Training ($600), September 24-25, 2024
Acidified Training ($600) + Aseptic Training ($500) = $1100, September 24-26, 2024

Group Discount
Save on training when you register as a group! Receive a 10% discount when two or more participants from the same company sign up together. Disclaimer: The discount cannot be combined with other offers or promotions.

Certification Requirements

Participants are required to attend sessions and complete a standardized exam on each topic. A passing score of 70% or higher is required.

After completing the virtual online course and passing all exams, you will be granted a Better Process Control School Certificate of Completion.

Registration Deadling

September 20, 2024

Course Location

Zoom, virtual instructor-led format

Training Overview

Two Day Course (September 24-25, 2024)
Acidified Training Certificate – $600.00

The two-day course includes the following chapters:

Introduction
Microbiology of Thermally Processed Foods
Sanitation for Retorts and Atmospheric Cookers
Sanitation for Continuous Systems
Closures for Glass and Twist-Off Plastic Containers
Introduction to Thermal Processing
Mild Thermal Processing

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Two and Half Day Course (September 24-26, 2024)
Acidified + Aseptic Training Certificate – $1100.00

The two and half day course includes Acidified Foods chapters, along with the following Aseptic chapters:

Closures for Double-Seamed Metal and Plastic Containers
Flexible and Semirigid Containers
Aseptic Processing and Packaging Systems

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Who Should Take This Course?

Personnel working in facilities that manufacture thermally processed foods, acidified or low-acid foods, including:

Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs Manager
Quality Assurance/Quality Control Professionals
Retort operators
Plant personnel and supervisors
Staff Engineers
Research & Development / Product Development Professionals

Course Textbook

Registration fee DOES NOT include the required course text book – Canned Foods: Principles of Thermal Process Control, Acidification and Container Closure Evaluation (9th Edition). Participants are required to purchase the textbook prior to the course date. Purchase of the manual will be from the Consumer Brand Association. All questions regarding the manual will be through the association and their help email, info@consumerbrandsassociation.org.

Special Offer:
As a partner school with Consumer Brand Association, IEH Academy offers a special price of $85 (regular price $125) on the required textbook when you register through IEH Academy.

Registration Link:

Enroll Here for Acidified Training

Enroll Here for Acidified + Aseptic Training

Cancellation & Refund Policy

The full payment is required upon registration. If you need to pay by check, please refrain from proceeding with online registration and contact our office at (206) 522-5432 to complete your registration. Cancellation policy are as follows:

On or before September 8th: No fee

September 8th – September 23rd: $350.00 fee

September 24th and beyond: No refunds provided

Refunds will only be issued to the credit card used for payment. Cash or check refunds will not be given. IEH Academy reserves the right to cancel or reschedule any event due to inadequate enrollment or unexpected circumstances. In such cases, registration fees will be refunded, but IEH Academy is not held liable for additional costs, charges, or expenses, including textbook cancellation or change fees imposed by the Consumer Brand Association.

Additional Information

If you have problems with registration, please email: iehacademy@iehinc.com
If you have course content questions, please contact Dr. Robert Brackett via email: robert.brackett@iehinc.com

If you are looking for in-person on-site training for Better Process Control School (BPCS) Training, visit our other page https://www.iehacademy.com/better-process-control-school/.

Meet the Instructors

Dr. Robert Brackett

Dr. Robert Brackett leads the industry training team under the IEH Academy. He received his Ph.D. in Food Microbiology, his M.S. in Food Microbiology, and his B.S. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to joining IEH, Dr. Brackett served as IIT Vice President and Executive Director of the Institute of Food Safety and Health at Illinois Institute of Technology, and Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific and Regulatory Officer for the Washington, DC based Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) now under the name, Consumer Brands Association. Prior to serving at GMA, Dr. Brackett worked for the U.S. FDA as the Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, as well as several other executive positions within FDA. Earlier in his career, Dr. Brackett spent 19 years in academia at North Carolina State University where he served as Food Safety Specialist and as Professor at the University of Georgia, where he conducted research on foodborne pathogens.

At IEH, he is focused on developing and executing training programs that will enable the food industry to produce safer and higher quality products. Dr. Brackett is an expert on the microbiological and chemical safety of processed foods and fresh produce. He has over 40 years of experience on factors that affect the growth and survival of foodborne pathogens in both fresh and processed foods and ingredients. In addition, he has extensive experience in developing and providing training for both regulatory and private sector personnel, both internationally and in the U.S.

Dr. Gene Bartholomew

Dr. Gene Bartholomew joined IEH as Vice President of Technical Services in 2019. He earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology from Cornell University and a B.S. in biology from Bucknell University. Dr. Bartholomew began his professional career at International Paper in 1983 as a research scientist.

During his 15 years there, he commercialized and validated an aseptic packaging system, managed a beverage pilot plant and its laboratory, started taste panel testing for the company, and advanced to manage several products, and development groups. Dr. Bartholomew then joined Smithfield Foods Packaged Meats. He started in the John Morrell Group as the corporate director of food safety for 7 meat processing and slaughter facilities and 1 spice plant. He later took on the role of Senior Director of Corporate Food Safety, during which he was responsible for 14 meat processing plants and several FDA-regulated plants.

Throughout his 20-year career at Smithfield, he led HACCP plan design and validation, thermal processing, regulatory compliance, sanitation, allergen control, and environmental pathogen monitoring. He also managed a corporate microbiology laboratory and its accreditation, has certifications in HACCP training, BRC, and SQF schemes, and is a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual. Dr. Bartholomew was a founding member of the North American Meat Institute Listeria Control Workshop and has taught numerous courses to members of the food industry.

Mark Deniston

Mark Deniston has worked with IEH since 2005. He earned his M.S. in Food Engineering from UC Davis and his B.S. from Cal Poly. He has published papers on heat transfer to foods with particles, heat transfer to food products heated in steam/air retorts, and hyperfiltration technology for protein recovery. Deniston also was co-author of a National Food Processors Association (NFPA) book on automated control system validation. Deniston has taught numerous workshops and courses such as the FDA Advanced Low Acid Canned Foods Workshops, NFPA, and IEH Thermal Processing, Aseptic Processing and Process Deviation Workshops, and Better Process Control Schools.

At IEH, Deniston conducts evaluation studies on automated control systems, 21 CFR Part 11 electronic record-keeping systems, retort systems, and aseptic processing and packaging systems. He also recommends LACF and acidified thermal processes and evaluates LACF and acidified thermal process deviations. Deniston has held a part-time UC Davis position for 39 years, and before working at IEH, he worked at the NFPA Western Research Laboratory for 19 years in thermal processing and environmental engineering.

Dr. Peter Ferstl

Dr. Peter Ferstl joined IEH as the Vice President of Technical Services in 2023. He earned his Ph.D. in Fluid Mechanics and Food Engineering and an M.S. in Brewing and Beverage Engineering from the Technical University of Munich.

Prior to joining IEH, Dr. Ferstl was employed for over 15 years in various positions in the food industry, including Director of Food Safety and Process Authority with Niagara Bottling, Director of Technology Transfer and Process Authority with Ripple Foods, and Process Engineer at the National Food Laboratory.

Dr. Ferstl consults clients in the areas of food processing and food safety. As a Process Authority, he designs, validates, and files processing equipment for FDA-regulated food categories, including low-acid and acidified foods. Dr. Ferstl also conducts assessments for thermal process deviations and provides support to investigate and troubleshoot spoilage issues. His expertise covers a range of processing methods, including the development of retort, HTST and UHT pasteurization, high pressure, and aseptic processes that adhere to quality and safety requirements.

His consultation services extend to plant inspections for FDA compliance, encompassing processing equipment and critical processing parameters documentation, as well as advising on sanitation and sanitary design. Dr. Ferstl also assists clients in commercializing products by offering risk assessment support and implementing risk mitigation strategies for various food commodities, including low-moisture and retail foods. Additionally, he provides training on FDA regulations, food processing, packaging, and food safety.

Better Process Control School (BPCS) Training

Course details

Virtual Instructor-Led

September 24-26^th, 2024

Certificate of Completion

Course Description

Date and Registration Fees

Certification Requirements

Registration Deadling

Course Location

Training Overview

Two Day Course (September 24-25, 2024)
Acidified Training Certificate – $600.00

Two and Half Day Course (September 24-26, 2024)
Acidified + Aseptic Training Certificate – $1100.00

Who Should Take This Course?

Course Textbook

Registration Link:

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Additional Information

Meet the Instructors

Dr. Robert Brackett

Dr. Gene Bartholomew

Mark Deniston

Dr. Peter Ferstl

About

Services

Let's Connect

Better Process Control School (BPCS) Training

Course details

Virtual Instructor-Led

September 24-26th, 2024

Certificate of Completion

Course Description

Date and Registration Fees

Certification Requirements

Registration Deadling

Course Location

Training Overview

Two Day Course (September 24-25, 2024) Acidified Training Certificate – $600.00

Two and Half Day Course (September 24-26, 2024) Acidified + Aseptic Training Certificate – $1100.00

Who Should Take This Course?

Course Textbook

Registration Link:

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Additional Information

Meet the Instructors

Dr. Robert Brackett

Dr. Gene Bartholomew

Mark Deniston

Dr. Peter Ferstl

About

Services

Let's Connect

September 24-26^th, 2024

Two Day Course (September 24-25, 2024)
Acidified Training Certificate – $600.00

Two and Half Day Course (September 24-26, 2024)
Acidified + Aseptic Training Certificate – $1100.00