ITF Training · Learning path

The Food Facility QA path

Hygiene first, then hazard analysis, then the system, then the scheme, in that order.

Quote this path See the food safety courses

Length: 4½ to 5½ days
For: QA and food safety coordinators
Steps: 5, plus FSSC where it applies
Delivery: Your site, on your own product
Certificate: One per course

The Food Facility QA path runs food handler hygiene, HACCP, ISO 22000 awareness, document control and corrective action, then FSSC 22000 where the site holds or is chasing it. Four and a half days, or five and a half with FSSC, for a QA officer in a plant, central kitchen, bakery or cold store.

Six steps, climbingHygiene at the bottom, the scheme at the topSwipe to pan

01 Enquiry
02 Needs analysis
03 Programme design
04 Scheduling
05 Delivery
06 Assessment
07 Certification
08 Records

The Food Facility QA path sits at step 3 of the delivery cycle. You receive a proposed programme and schedule.

Why hygiene comes before HACCP

A HACCP plan rests on the hygiene basics under it, so the path starts at the sink, not the flow diagram.

The hazard analysis in step 2 assumes the prerequisites are in place. The management system in step 3 wraps around that analysis, and the scheme in step 6 sits on top of the system. Taken in another order, each course teaches a layer the person has nowhere to put yet.

Two additions are often worth it. Add root cause analysis before step 5 if the site has repeat findings. Add COSHH if cleaning chemical handling is a live risk, which on most food sites it is.

The sequence

Step and course	Why it sits here	Length
1 · Food safety for food handlers	The hygiene basics a plan depends on	½ day
2 · HACCP to Codex	The hazard analysis, on your own product	2 days
3 · ISO 22000 awareness	The management system around the plan	1 day
4 · Document and records control	The records an auditor opens first	½ day
5 · Nonconformity and corrective action	Closing findings so they stay closed	½ day
6 · FSSC 22000 scheme requirements	Only where the site holds or is pursuing FSSC	1 day, if applicable

What the QA officer holds at the end

A drafted HACCP plan

For your own product, with the flow diagram checked on your line.

Your controls, classified

PRP, OPRP or CCP, with the justification written down beside each one.

A document master list and an NCR register

The document register an auditor opens first, and an NCR register with ageing and trend fields.

Hygiene cards and wall posters

A pocket hygiene rules card and posters in Arabic and English, from the handler course.

A certificate per course

An ITF certificate of completion for each course the officer completes.

A new QA officer in a central kitchen

A central kitchen's new QA officer took steps 1 to 5 across two months.

HACCP was built on the kitchen's own cook chill line, so the drafted plan described the process the kitchen actually runs.

The kitchen holds no FSSC certificate, so step 6 was left off. The officer ended up holding a drafted plan, classified controls, register templates, and a certificate per course.

Before you quote the QA path

Q01

Does every site need step 6?

No. FSSC 22000 is for sites that hold the scheme or are pursuing it, usually because a buyer named it. Without it, the path is four and a half days.

Q02

Can other staff join individual courses?

Yes. The handler course suits every food handler on the site, and the ISO 22000 awareness day works best with the whole food safety team in the room.

Q03

How quickly can the path run?

The example above ran steps 1 to 5 across two months. The order matters more than the pace, and each course can be booked when the officer and the line can spare the day.