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What is the Alliance?
The Seafood HACCP Alliance is a collaborative project initially funded by the National Sea Grant College Program in 1994 to develop a standard training and education program to assist the commercial seafood industry and regulatory agencies with the implementation of FDA's mandatory HACCP program. The Alliance programs and projects are guided by a Steering Committee that includes university and Sea Grant seafood specialists across the U.S.; three federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service of USDA, and the National Marine Fisheries Service; the Association of Food and Drug Officials and various state agencies represented through regional AFDO affiliates; the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference; and two national industry trade associations: the National Fisheries Institute and the National Food Processors Association. Current funding for the Alliance is shared by the National Sea Grant College Program and the FDA.
The Alliance Approach to HACCP Training
The Alliance approach recognizes the essential role of state regulatory authorities, the educational networks of Sea Grant and the Cooperative Extension Service, and the need for regional program due to seafood diversity. The Alliance does not set or recommend policy, but strives to provide uniform education for the seafood industry and federal, state, and local food inspectors.
Alliance Goals and Accomplishments
The Seafood HACCP Alliance has accomplished the following:
1. Produced a standard core HACCP training manual and curriculum complemented by the FDA Fish and Fisheries Products Hazards and Controls Guide
2. Developed a training protocol with the Association of Food and Drug Officials to assure that a uniform program is delivered that is recognized by state and federal regulatory agencies.
3. Trained a national group of qualified instructors to deliver the program that are recognized by the Association of Food and Drug Officials.
4. Delivered over 500 courses in the U.S. and other countries that have been completed by over 12,000 individuals from the seafood industry and regulatory agencies.
5. Developed an Encore HACCP training program with FDA to provide additional assistance to the seafood industry and regulators on specific HACCP compliance issues.
6. Developed a Sanitation Control Procedures training course to provide assistance to the seafood industry and regulators on eight areas of sanitation specifically identified in the FDA seafood HACCP regulation.
7. Developed a Compendium of Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls available on the Internet from the University of California at Davis Seafood Network Information Center Web site.
8. Created an Alternative Training Committee that coordinated the development of this Internet HACCP training course with Cornell University and New York Sea Grant with funding support from the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of USDA Project Number 99-41560-0768.
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