COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will hold an in-person Better Process Control School (BPCS) training for food processors Aug. 1-3, and the first 25 people to sign up will now be enrolled for free.

Courtesy of the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority, BPCS will be free to the first 25 Missouri farmers and food processors who register. Registration beyond the first 25 enrollees, whether Missourians or out-of-state attendees, will be $800.

The 2.5-day training will be at the Eckles Event Center on the MU campus in Columbia.

The Better Process Control School, established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the 1970s, is mandatory for food processors engaged in production of acidified and low-acid canned foods. The Missouri State Acidified Food Regulations require production processes to be reviewed by a processing authority such as the University of Missouri and for staff/personnel to attend BPCS training.

Lakshmikatha “Kantha” Channaiah, MU assistant professor and state extension food processing and safety specialist, recommends the course for owners, production and line supervisors, quality assurance managers and operators who work with shelf-stable, heat-processed low-acid and acidified food products regulated by the FDA. The course also meets training requirements of USDA regulations for thermally processed meat and poultry products. Participant lists and exam results will be maintained for 10 years.

Channaiah will conduct the training with Mizzou associate professor of food science Andrew Clarke.

Register at https://mizzou.us/BPCS.