The Food Industry’s Only All-online PCQI Course Now has FSPCA Approval with Equivalency
July 5th, 2017
AUSTIN, Texas — Alchemy Systems has created the food industry’s first and only all-online, interactive course for becoming a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI). The Alchemy course is also the first (and only) all-online course to achieve equivalency to the standardized curriculum recognized by the FDA. Managers of quality assurance and food safety will now have the option of quickly and conveniently becoming a PCQI and receive the official Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) Certificate of Training without having to leave their facility.
“There are tens of thousands of food safety professionals who still need to get the PCQI training, but finding the time and budget to travel for three days at an instructor-led course has been challenging,” said Raj Shah, Alchemy’s Chief Strategist. “Now, they can take Alchemy’s all-online course when it’s convenient to them and their company. The Alchemy all-online course also enables companies to meet upcoming September deadlines to get training completed.”
Available immediately, the “Preventive Controls for Human Food” online course consists of two parts: the first is a self-paced e-learning course based on the curriculum developed for the FDA by the FSPCA. Completion of that portion is followed by a live, instructor-led webinar to complete the exercise portion of the course and assure full understanding in developing effective Food Safety Plans.
Alchemy’s PCQI course instructors have decades of experience working in the food processing industry, with hands-on experience managing food safety and quality assurance plans. Lead Instructors Jeff Chilton, Brent Heldt, and Jorge Acosta teach both the all-online course as well as the multi-day onsite FSPCA-approved classroom trainings that Alchemy offers across the country.
About FSMA, PCQI, and FDA
New regulations for food processors under the Food Safety Modernization Act require that key personnel in charge of managing the food safety plan have completed training to qualify as PCQIs or otherwise have experience to develop risk based food safety plans. The FDA provided a grant to the FSPCA to develop the official course curriculum to meet the PCQI requirements. Alchemy’s all-online course (as well as the instructor led course) are officially recognized by the FSPCA and the Completion of Training certificate is issued by the FSPCA.