RFA Technical Webcasts

 

The RFA hosts quarterly Technical Webcasts on timely food safety and regulatory topics affecting
the prepared foods industry. The Webcasts are live, interactive events that you can join from your office!

See below for details on the latest Technical Webcast.

RFA Members can access slide presentations from past Technical Webcasts at anytime in the Member Center.

October 26, 2022 RFA Technical Lunch & Learn:

 
“Recent Updates to FDA's Seafood HACCP Guidance”

 

REGISTER HERE for this live, interactive Event that you can join from your office!

Non-member registration form

Date and Time:

     * Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 2:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time 

      (1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Central, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Mountain, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Pacific)

Overview:

Recent Updates to FDA's Seafood HACCP Guidance

Recent changes to FDA’s Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guide (FFPH- CG) (2021 and 2022) will be covered during this luncheon and learn. The focus will be on changes to chapters, appendices, and addendums. We’ll also make reference to the emphasis on training requirements for Qualified Individuals. We will concentrate on secondary processor controls for value added products, how to validate critical limits, establishment monitoring procedures, take corrective action and verify the effectiveness of controls.

Since FDA’s recommended control strategy requires certain refrigerated seafood items to be stored at temperatures of 40 degrees for no greater than 4 hours to be compliant, processors are pressed to conduct internal research (e.g., inoculated pack studies, cold chain mapping), maintain supporting reference materials, and provide other evidences which examine the cumulative impacts of time and temperature under normal holding/storage temperatures

and under abuse conditions. Processors must be able to validate and verify that specific products which have been subjected to temperature abuse conditions have a variety of limitations (e.g., aW, pH, WPS) which provide additional control of pathogen growth and toxin formation. We will discuss TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety), transit control strategies, and potential for pathogen formation and hazards for value added seafood.

Presenter: 

Scott Zimmerman, CEO and Co-Founder of Safe Quality Seafood Associates (SQSA)

Scott Zimmerman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Safe Quality Seafood Associates (SQSA), LLC, a consulting firm in Miami, FL, which provides a variety of Quality Assurance and Inspection services including, sensory training, food safety audits, product inspections, and compliance program writing for many certification standards. He received his BA from University of Miami, and a Master of Applied Science (Aquaculture) from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. He provides continuing education services as an AFDO Train-the-Trainer for the Seafood HACCP Alliance (SHA) training program, and lectures for the Marine Affairs and Policy program at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (UM-RSMAS), and United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC). Mr. Zimmerman has also published several research papers and articles on aquaculture, seafood safety, and quality management systems.

Previous to forming SQSA, Mr. Zimmerman worked as a Compliance Officer for a large food distributor and was the Executive Director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fisherman’s Association (FKCFA). In a career that has spanned over two decades, he has worked with hundreds of seafood processors, farms, fisheries, and feed mills throughout the US and LATAM region.

 

How does the Lunch & Learn work?

It's easy and convenient!  A virtual seminar is one that you can "attend" and participate in right from your offices. There is no travel time, and now provided at NO COST to RFA members!
      

The RFA Technical Lunch & Learn will include live audio along with a slide presentation on the Web. You just need a phone connection for the audio and an Internet connection.  

In addition, the lunch & learn will allow you to comment and ask questions at specified times during the event using your phone.
     

You can invite staff members to listen and participate too!  To get the most out of a lunch & learn, it is recommended that you have no more than five people at any one computer connection. If you have multiple locations, please register each location separately.


Credits

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the Research Chefs Association (RCA) have confirmed that continuing education credits are available for numerous RFA technical functions. Depending on the specific educational criteria of these two organizations, credits will be accepted for attendance at 1) RFA Webinars, 2) the RFA Fall Symposium and 3) the RFA Annual Conference.

Contact the RFA office for more information or for proof of participation.

 

Registration Information:

The cost for this event is as follows:

  • RFA Members: NO CHARGE - Now Included as a Member Benefit!

  • Non-Members: $310 per computer/audio connection

To attend the meeting, you can either:

  • Just send an email to [email protected] to register. There is no cost for members.  Nonmembers: checks must be made payable to the Refrigerated Foods Association. Payment should be received no later than October 24, 2022.

Once you have registered for the meeting, you will receive an email message inviting you to attend the web conference with instructions on how to attend. This message will provide the information that you need to join the meeting.



If you have questions about the RFA Technical Lunch & Learns or Webcasts, please e-mail the RFA office at [email protected].