SW New Mexico News

New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, in partnership with FS Global Group, is set to offer a virtual certification course for commercial canned food processors. This initiative targets operators, managers, and supervisors of commercially canned acidified food processing operations and will be conducted in Spanish. The course is open to participants from the region and Latin America.

The Better Process Control School workshop provides two options: Acidified Foods Certification and Complete Training and Certification. The Acidified Foods Certification runs from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., June 9-12, with an individual registration fee of $500 plus tax. A cooperative rate of $470 plus tax is available for groups of three or more participants. The Complete Training and Certification spans from June 9-13 and June 16-17, also from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., costing $600 plus tax per individual or $550 plus tax for group registrations.

Both courses include a digital certificate of completion and relevant technical materials; however, participants must purchase the required textbook separately through the Consumer Brands Association website.

The Acidified Foods Certification course covers FDA guidelines on thermal processing principles, pathogen control strategies, mild thermal processes, among other topics. Meanwhile, the Complete Training and Certification option offers comprehensive preparation for role changes or new product introductions across different processing types. Completion ensures compliance with FDA regulations requiring certified supervision during low-acidified and acidified low-acid canned food processing, as well as USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service standards for thermally processed meat and poultry.

Interested individuals can register by contacting Luis Sabillón at lsabillo@nmsu.edu or Sutze Liu Gonzales at sliu@grupofs.com. Additional information is available at https://grupofs.com/#CursosFS or https://foodtech.nmsu.edu/workshops/bpcs.html.