Alchemy Academy and University of Minnesota's Food Protection and Defense Institute Help Food Companies Meet FDA's New Intentional Adulteration Rule

AUSTIN, Texas, June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Alchemy Academy (a division of Intertek Alchemy) and the Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI) at the University of Minnesota have teamed up to safeguard the nation's food supply by training food industry workforces on food defense awareness.

The FDA's Intentional Adulteration rule, a component of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), requires all employees at actionable process steps, and their supervisors, to receive adequate food defense training. The initial deadline to comply is July 26, 2019.

The first e-learning course, Food Defense Supervisor Awareness, is now available through Alchemy Academy. The one-hour course helps:

• Frontline food supervisors understand key components of food defense awareness training;
• Food companies comply with the Intentional Adulteration rule, which requires employees to receive adequate food defense training.

Amy Kircher, DrPH, FPDI's Director, said: "Offering every food worker the necessary training to combat intentional adulteration is critical to FPDI's mission as the only center of its kind in the world. Our new collaboration with Alchemy Academy provides a proven delivery channel for content we have co-created with them and the ability to develop more food defense training for all levels of workers in a food facility."

A second course focused on food defense training for managers will be available this summer. The course will provide managers designated by their company as a Food Defense Qualified Individual (a requirement under Intentional Adulteration rule) the training needed to develop a food defense program and identify risk mitigation strategies.

Raj Shah, President of Intertek Alchemy, stated: "Alchemy already trains millions of frontline food workers on food and workplace safety. We're proud to collaborate with FPDI as content experts to offer these high-quality e-learning courses so companies can meet their food defense training needs quickly, cost-effectively, and conveniently."

About Intertek Alchemy:
Intertek Alchemy is the global leader in innovative training and communications solutions that help companies train and engage their workforces to drive safety and productivity. Alchemy Academy provides high quality online training for food safety and operations professionals.

About the Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI) of the University of Minnesota:
FPDI protects the global food supply through research, education, and the delivery of innovative solutions, addressing vulnerabilities of the global food system through a comprehensive, farm-to-table view. FPDI is part of the University of Minnesota, a leading US research university with comprehensive programs in agriculture, food, and human health, and more than 1,800 current licenses in use for technology developed by its researchers.

SOURCE Alchemy Academy