BRIDGETON, NJ — The Rutgers Food Innovation Center (FIC) has expanded its training programs and its geographic outreach, and will be offering a series of food industry training programs in northern New Jersey in mid-October. These classes will include: a one-day course in Food Business Basics offered on October 18, a three-day food safety course in Preventive Controls for Human Food offered from October 19-21, and a one-day course in Food Industry Sustainability that will be offered on October 24. All classes will be held at 78 John Miller Way, Kearny NJ, 07032, within the Kearny Point Industrial Park. The Rutgers FIC is pleased to be supported by NJBIZ Magazine, Paterson Restoration Corporation, Newark Community Economic Development Corporation, New Jersey Small Business Development Center at Rutgers New Brunswick, and Wiss & Company, LLP in promoting this event to food businesses in the northern New Jersey area.
Registration for each of these classes can be conducted online by clicking the appropriate link at
http://foodinnovation.rutgers.edu/
The course in Food Business Basics is designed for startup and early-stage entrepreneurs that are considering establishing or expanding a food business. This one-day seminar offers a unique opportunity for food entrepreneurs to learn critical aspects of the prepared food business industry, and includes an overview of food industry trends and technologies, business and marketing planning, food law, food safety, food packaging, and other areas. The Food Business Basics class will be held on October 18.
The course in Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) includes 20 hours of classroom instruction over a three-day period. Participants will earn an official FoodSafety Preventative Controls Alliance (FSPCA) certificate for becoming an FDA-recognized “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual” (PCQI) with the credentials for creating a FDA Food Safety Plan with hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls. In accordance with recent federal regulations, each FDA-regulated food processing facility that is not under regulatory-required HACCP must now have a PCQI to develop, implement and validate their food safety plan as required under the 2011 FSMA Act. PCHF training is appropriate for food marketers and food processing managers in the functions of quality assurance, plant operations, sanitation, and other functions; service providers and consultants; public health inspectors; and also brokers and distributors. The Preventive Controls for Human Foods class will be held on October 19, 20, and 21.
A third seminar, in Best Practices in Food Industry Sustainability, is being provided by the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in partnership with the Rutgers EcoComplex, and will be held on October 24. This unique sustainability seminar will help companies to reduce their energy and water use, create or enhance their sustainability program, and save money in their operations. The course agenda will provide a holistic understanding of the many components of food industry sustainability, including: building construction and design considerations that impact energy and water conservation; refrigeration system alternatives for both larger and smaller operations; and innovations in food handling and processing equipment, transportation, lighting systems, water and wastewater systems, etc. This seminar is designed for small, mid-sized and larger food processing companies; logistics, supply chain, warehousing, and distribution operations; retail and foodservice establishments; and contractors, engineers, architects, consultants, and other organizations that are allied to the food industry.
Lou Cooperhouse, Director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center (FIC) stated, “Food industry training is a core capability and competency of our Center. We are excited to expand our training programs, and our geographic reach, and now offer these classes at the Kearney Point Industrial Park. This is a great location and venue, and an easy commute for food processors in this region and for individuals that may fly in to nearby Newark Airport.”
All training programs will be held at 78 John Miller Way, Kearny NJ, 07032. This is within the Kearny Point Industrial Park, and just a few minutes away from Exit 15E on the New Jersey Turnpike. A GPS link for directions is https://goo.gl/maps/2bsG7fDoU6x.
Class size for all three programs is limited, and registration costs for each program vary. Registration can only be confirmed after payment has been received, and availability is on a first come first served basis. Registration and payment can be conducted online via links on the home page of Rutgers FIC website at http://foodinnovation.rutgers.edu/. For further information, or to register by phone, contact Sho Islam at sho@njaes.rutgers.edu or Jean Mahoney at Mahoney@njaes.rutgers.edu, or by phone at 856-459-1900.
About the Rutgers Food Innovation Center
Rutgers Food Innovation Center (FIC) is a globally recognized food business incubation and economic development accelerator program of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The Center provides extensive programs in training and workforce development; customized and comprehensive business and technical mentoring services; and a 23,000 sq. ft. USDA- and FDA-inspected facility that enables design, development, analysis, commercialization and manufacture of value-added food products for sale to retail and foodservice markets. The FIC has served over 1,500 clients since its formation in 2001. It has been named as the 2016 “Food Incubator of the Year” by the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) and recognized as an “Agricultural Innovation Center Demonstration Program” by the USDA. In addition, the FIC has been designated as a Soft Landings site by InBIA, due to its focus on international business attraction, and is currently the only food-based incubation program in the world with this designation. For more information about the Rutgers Food Innovation Center, visit http://foodinnovation.rutgers.edu/.
About the Kearny Point Industrial Park
Kearny Point Industrial Park is a 2 million-square-foot renovation project dating almost a century to its origins as a wartime shipyard. From 1917 to 1949 the property operated as the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. Federal was the Navy’s preferred yard during World War II, employing 30,000 people and building ships faster than any yard in the world. After the war Federal began recycling those obsolete ships, and over the next 50 years River Terminal developed millions of square feet of industrial warehousing, distribution and office space. Hugo Neu has since worked to restore and repurpose the site as a business neighborhood. The company expects to create and save at least 5,000 jobs in New Jersey. For more information about the Kearny Point Industrial Park, visit http://kearnypoint.com/.
Source: Rutgers Food Innovation Center
