HACCP course for every level

If you work with food, you have probably heard of the term HACCP. In this blog, you will learn what an HACCP course is and why it is important to take one. You will also learn about the different types of training and HACCP courses available.

What is HACCP?

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a food safety system. Companies that prepare, process and/or sell food are legally required to work in accordance with HACCP guidelines. This means that you must supply food-safe products to your customers. For each stage of production, your company must analyse (Analysis) the hazards and what could go wrong. You must also determine how you can prevent these hazards from occurring (Critical Control Points). Companies can draw up their own HACCP plan or work according to an approved guide. In the Netherlands, these are Hygiene Codes approved by the NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority). Belgian companies are required to implement a self-checking system. FAVV-approved Self-Checking Guides are available for various sectors.

What is an HACCP course?

During an HACCP course, you will learn all the important aspects of HACCP. You will learn how to work in a food-safe manner and what to look out for. You will also learn about the different types of hazards and how to prevent them from occurring. The course covers not only accidental contamination of products, but also deliberate contamination.

Why should you take an HACCP course?

Although many foods are now produced by machines, employees still have a significant impact on the food safety of products. Failure to follow HACCP guidelines correctly can lead to food safety hazards. Examples include not washing hands properly or cleaning the production line incorrectly. Contamination with bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes can pose a major threat to public health. In order to supply food-safe products to customers or consumers, it is therefore essential that every employee in your company is familiar with and follows the HACCP rules. Make sure you provide a suitable HACCP course and repeat it regularly.

What types of training are available?

HACCP courses are available in a variety of training formats. We have listed the most common training formats and the differences between them for you:

• With E-learning, you can take the HACCP course online. E-learning courses are very flexible. You can invite an employee at any time, after which they can take the HACCP course via a computer with an internet connection. This can be done in any language. If you regularly have new employees or temporary workers, E-learning is an ideal solution for flexibly refreshing their knowledge. Classroom training courses are less easy to organise in the interim.

• Classroom HACCP courses can be held at your location or externally. Classroom training is also about increasing knowledge, but above all about teaching desired behaviour.

• Blended learning programmes combine e-learning and classroom training. Blended learning is a training solution that combines e-learning courses and classroom training. This allows you to create an optimal training programme that teaches both the knowledge and the desired behaviour of your employees. For example, you can teach and test knowledge with e-learning and then respond to the needs of employees during classroom training. You can also provide classroom training once or several times a year and train new and temporary employees in the meantime via e-learning.

What types of HACCP courses are available?

HACCP courses are available for every level. For example, you may want new employees to follow basic awareness training on HACCP and permanent employees to follow in-depth training. Would you like more in-depth training for your quality department? Then the HACCP team leader and HACCP methodology training courses are a good option. See below for a number of examples of HACCP courses.

• E-learning basic food safety (level 1)

• Basic food safety workshop (level 2)

• HACCP team training (level 3)

• HACCP team leader training (level 4)

• E-learning HACCP methodology (level 3)

• Advanced HACCP methodology training (level 4)

In England, training is usually divided into levels. Level 1 stands for awareness, level 2 for understanding, level 3 for intermediate and level 4 for advanced.

How do you choose the right HACCP course?

The best HACCP course for you depends entirely on the needs of your company and the training options available within your company. To get a better idea, the following questions are relevant.

• Which employees do you want to train?

• Do you want to offer employees practical training?

• Do you want to train employees on knowledge or behaviour?

• Do you have employees who speak other languages?

• Do you want to be able to offer training to new and temporary employees at any time?

How do you demonstrate the training results?

In the food sector, you regularly have to deal with audits and inspections. These may be conducted by the NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority), FAVV (Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain), retail organisations or certification bodies for the BRCGS, IFS or FSSC 22000 certificates. During these audits and inspections, you must be able to demonstrate that employees have been trained. You can do this by keeping a (digital) folder of all training courses taken by each employee and the results achieved. The content of the training must also be demonstrable. Would you like to have this information available easily and automatically? Then an online training plan is the ideal solution for you.

A suitable HACCP course for every company

Whatever the training needs within your company, we offer a suitable training solution for every situation. Plan your HACCP course below. Would you like to take the HACCP course online? We offer comprehensive, expert e-learning courses in any language, which you can purchase immediately. We also design extensive, practical e-learning courses tailored to your specific needs. Would you also like to train your employees' behaviour and achieve optimal results in the workplace? Then classroom training or complete blended learning programmes are the right choice for your company. Can we help you quickly find the HACCP course you need? Take a look at our training offer or contact us without obligation. Normec Foodcare is a member of the Dutch Council for Training and Education (NRTO). In Belgium, training courses can be offered with Alimento subsidies.