New course, supported by the Beef Checkoff, gives employees at every level a practical foundation in identifying, preventing and controlling foreign material risks

ARLINGTON, VA — The Meat Institute and the Meat Foundation today announced the launch of “Foundations of Foreign Material Control & Prevention,” a free online training course that gives meat and poultry company employees a practical, comprehensive introduction to foreign material prevention and control. The course was developed with support from the Beef Checkoff and is hosted by FloVision.

"Foreign material control works best when it's built into the culture of a plant, not just the job description of a few specialists," said Dr. KatieRose McCullough, PhD, MPH, President of the Meat Foundation. "This course gives every employee the foundation to help prevent it and supports companies build a stronger, more proactive food safety culture from the ground up.”

Foreign material contamination can enter the food production process at any point — from incoming ingredients and packaging to equipment, maintenance activities and finished product. The new course is designed to build a proactive, company-wide understanding of how these risks arise and how to control them, drawing on content from the Meat Institute’s Foreign Material Manual.

Through 12 interactive, self-paced e-learning modules, participants learn how to identify, prevent, detect and manage foreign material risks throughout the production process, including:

• Common foreign material risks and how they enter the production process 
• Supplier approval programs and incoming material controls
• Good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and employee responsibilities
• Processing, maintenance, sanitation and operational controls
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) and chemical management
• Detection technologies, including metal detection, X-ray systems and vision inspection systems
• Reject mechanisms and handling of rejected product
• Response, investigation and disposition of foreign material findings
• Building a predictive foreign material control program
• Using the Foreign Material Maturity Model to evaluate and strengthen facility programs

The course is recommended for meat and poultry professionals at every level — plant floor personnel, sanitation teams, food safety and quality assurance specialists, operations and production managers, and corporate staff and leadership. Participants who complete all modules earn a Certificate of Completion and a shareable digital badge.

“Foundations of Foreign Material Control & Prevention” is available now at no cost. Learn more and enroll at academy.meatinstitute.org.

The course is the latest in a series of Meat Institute initiatives to reinforce food safety as a top priority for member companies, joining existing programming such as the “Foundations of Listeria Control” course and the Meat Institute’s ongoing food safety culture and continuous improvement efforts.

About the Meat Foundation:

The Meat Foundation is a 501 C3 non-profit organization dedicated to research, education, and scholarship. Our mission is to advance scientific understanding, cultivate future leaders, and support continuous improvement in the meat industry. In addition to applied research and professional development programming, the Foundation awards merit-based scholarships annually to accomplished students pursuing education that will lead to a career in the meat industry.

About the Meat Institute

The Meat Institute represents the full community of people and companies who make the majority of meat American families rely on every day. The Meat Institute’s hands-on regulatory and technical expertise, proactive advocacy, unique convening power, collaboration within and beyond animal agriculture, and sector-leading continuous improvement initiatives drive relationships and resources that ensure meat continues to be a vital, trusted pillar of healthy diets and thriving communities for generations to come. To learn more, visit: MeatInstitute.org.