BILOXI, Miss. -- Food safety professionals can earn the necessary certification to meet new provisions in the Food Safety Modernization Act next month during a three-day course on the Gulf Coast.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting a Food Safety Preventative Controls Alliance course March 22-24 in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Extension professor and food safety specialist Barakat Mahmoud will lead the workshop, which will guide participants through requirements needed to develop and implement a food safety system that complies with the FDA Preventative Controls for Human Food regulation enacted in 2015. Plants where human food is manufactured, processed, packed or held will soon be mandated to comply with the regulation.

Topics of the workshop include food safety plans, manufacturing practices, biological food safety hazards, preventative controls and record keeping procedures.

Participants who successfully complete all course requirements will be recognized as Preventative Controls Qualified Individuals. This certification will be required in food safety programs as soon as September 2016 and no later than 2018, depending on the size of the operation.

Food safety professionals, maintenance managers, production personnel, wholesalers, sanitation supervisors, plant managers, quality assurance managers, training supervisors and lead technicians are encouraged to participate.

Attendance is limited to 15 students, and space is available on a first-paid, first-registered basis. The course costs $120 per student and will be held 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. March 22-23 and 8 a.m. to noon March 24 at the MSU Coastal Research and Experiment Station on 1815 Popps Ferry Road in Biloxi.

Interested individuals are asked to contact Extension research associate Randy Coker at [email protected] or by phone at 228-546-1034 for a copy of the registration form.