JIFSAN Training Foreign Lab Techs on Food Safety
The new International Food Safety Training Laboratory in College Park, Md., started its training Sept. 12 with students from China and Indonesia.
Food safety training is being provided to foreign lab technicians at the University of Maryland's Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The FDA-supported training started Sept. 12 with students from China and Indonesia and is intended to improve the safety of imported food, according to the university and a report posted in a Baltimore Sun blog about it.
The training facility, located in College Park, Md., is a collaboration of the university, FDA, and the Waters Corp., which makes lab testing equipment. Federal regulators are the teachers; students will receive hands-on training with the latest technology and food safety methods and standards.
"The more we can strengthen scientific expertise in foreign food labs and harmonize their procedures with U.S. requirements, the greater the likelihood of safe foods reaching the U.S. and global markets," Janie Dubois, director of the new International Food Safety Training Laboratory, said in a statement, as quoted in the blog. "Federal regulators can only inspect a tiny fraction of imports, so foods should be well-tested and comply with U.S. requirements when they arrive in the country."