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Basic Microbiology for the Food Industry

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Under European Food Safety Regulation 178/2002, Article 14 “Food shall not be placed on the market if it is unsafe or unfit for human consumption.”  As bacteria are the major cause of food being unsafe, it is essential that those persons respons... Read More

Under European Food Safety Regulation 178/2002, Article 14 “Food shall not be placed on the market if it is unsafe or unfit for human consumption.”  As bacteria are the major cause of food being unsafe, it is essential that those persons responsible for producing safe food have some knowledge of bacteria.  Historically the majority of personnel who held these responsibilities studied a Food Science or Microbiology related discipline in a third level College or University.  This however is no longer the case as many graduates with engineering, supply chain and financial backgrounds or non-graduates who have progressed to managerial positions are now in charge of food manufacturing processes and factories where the biggest threat to the business or the consumer is E. coli, Salmonella, Clostridia just to name a few.

If one is in charge of producing food that is governed by law where microbiological criteria are specified it is vital to know ones legal obligations.  This course will give delegates an understanding of how bacteria grow, unique characteristics of some bacteria and most importantly how they can be controlled.  A simple method of microbiological risk assessment will be explained so that risk based decisions can be made which will be in the interest of the business and consumer alike.

Case study exercises will be undertaken with particular focus on the WPC 80 Fonterra incident. This incident resulted from the lack of understanding of bacteria by production and technical staff alike and is one of the most significant food safety incidents and product recalls in recent years.

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What's covered?

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  • Delegate/Tutor Introduction
  • Course Introduction
  • History of Microbiology
  • Bacteria Classification / Shapes
  • Bacteria Cell Structure
  • Bacteria Spore Formation
  • Bacteria Growth Requirements
  • Disease Causing Bacteria:
    • Food Poisoning Causes
    • Food Hygiene
    • Major Pathogens
    • Food Spoilage Bacteria
  • Microbiological Risk Assessment Methodology
  • Microbiological Criteria of Foodstuffs (2073/2005) – Chapter 1 & 2
  • FSAI Guidance Note 3 – Guidelines for the Interpretation of Micro Test results
  • WPC 80 – Case Study Review
  • Course Review / Evaluation

Who should participate?

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  • General management who need a basic knowledge of bacteria
  • HACCP / Food Safety team member who may not have a Food Science background
  • Maintenance / Engineering personnel who manage process intervention in a high risk environment
  • Food manufacturing supervisory personnel who make decisions relating to food safety
  • Technical personnel who need to know the Microbiological Criteria of Foodstuffs (2073/2005)
  • Product recall personnel who need to understand the significance of microbiological contamination

What will I learn?

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Participants achieve the following learning outcomes from the programme;

  • Be familiar with basic bacteria classification and structure
  • Understand spore formation and the difficulties it poses for the food sector
  • Understand the requirements for bacteria growth and survival
  • Understand the major disease causing bacteria (Pathogens) and how they can be controlled
  • Understand food spoilage bacteria and the importance of milk hygiene
  • Understand how to carry out a microbiological risk assessment
  • Be familiar with EU regulation on the microbiological criteria of foodstuffs (2073/2005)
  • Be able to use FSAI Guidance Note 3 to interpret microbiology test result

Who are the tutors?

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How do we train and support you?

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In-House Courses
For In-House courses, the tutor will contact you in advance to discuss the course programme in more detail in order to tailor it specifically for your organisation.

Course Manual
Delegates will receive a very comprehensive course manual.

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SnapshotSnapshot

Course Code
FS003
Duration
1 training day
Delivery Mode
This programme is delivered by or In-Company training 
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What Our Learner's SayWhat Our Learner's Say



Brilliant, and well prepared and presented Thanks
Kevin G May 17, 2024
Brian is an excellent tutor
Laura M May 25, 2023
This was a really interesting course. Fantastic training by Denis. I really enjoyed the course and no matter how many times, I do this course, I always learn something new.
Michelle M May 4, 2022
Great Course! Denis made it both entertaining and engaging. Definitely helped to improve and refresh knowledge.
Megan P May 4, 2022
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Basic Microbiology for the Food Industry

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Basic Microbiology for the Food Industry

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