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Nearly a Decade Later, Total Quality Management Returns
By Christopher Clark
SFA V.P. of Membership and Administration
For those of you who have been in the industry for a few years, you may remember the SFA Total Quality Assurance Course, taught by the late Dr. Wilbur Gould, Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University (OSU) through the late 1990s. The four-day course, known throughout the snack food industry, was the only program where quality-control personnel from snack food companies from around the world could come and learn everything there was to know about quality assurance as it related specifically to the snack food industry. With help from the Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT) and Ohio State University’s Department of Food Science, SFA has relaunched this one-of-a-kind snack food industry education program.
This new total quality management course, named after Dr. Gould, who also was a former SFA Food Technology Consultant, combines classroom lectures from the leading experts in food manufacturing in the mornings and practical lab work in OSU’s Parker Food Science Laboratory in the afternoon. Each attendee will have the opportunity to test and evaluate methods at the Food Science Laboratory during the course.
This new four-day course also will provide an understanding of how snacks are manufactured, why quality is important, where to emphasize quality control, what instruments and methods can be used to measure quality, when to make quality evaluations, and who should take responsibility for ensuring quality. Here’s a preview of what’s in store:
Day 1 — Mon., Sept. 12, 2005 (Lecture)
Overview of the Snack Industry
Fundamentals of Quality Assurance/Quality Management,
Food Laws/Regulations Related to Quality (new labeling regulations, registration, prior notice, trans fatty acids, allergens)
Regulatory Expectations for Safety & Security
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs/Regualtory Expectations for Safety/Security Act)
Fundamentals of Plant Sanitation (HACCPs, SOPs, SSOPs)
Tools for Managing Quality (sampling for control and evaluation, data evaluation)
Record-Keeping and Interpretation of Records
Day 2 — Tue., Sept. 13 (Morning Lecture/Afternoon Lab)
Machines and Methods for Snack Manufacturing (washing, peelers, slicers, fryers, mixers/dough handlers, ovens, extruders and poppers)
Materials — Good Agricultural Practices
Material — Potatoes
For Chipping, Dehydration and Baking (chips)
Materials — Sweet potatoes, Plantains, Vegetables for chipping
Pilot Plant (PM)
Potato Chips – fried, dehydrated, baked – Dr. Barringer
Chipping of other vegetables
QC Methods (sugars, color, specific gravity, etc.)
Plant Sanitation (practical demonstrations)
Day 3 — Wed., Sept. 14 (Morning Lecture/Afternoon Lab)
Material — Corn, Masa Flour, Soy Flour and Rice Flour
Materials — Fats and Oils
Salt, Flavors and Seasonings
Packages and Packaging (form/fill/seal, nitrogen generators, films, shelf life)
Pilot Plant (PM)
Popcorn
Extruded Snacks
Form-fill-seal
Coatings
QC Methods (fat content, FFA, salt content, etc.)
Day 4 — Thu., Sept. 15 (Morning Lecture/Afternoon Lab)
On-line Quality Control (near infra-red technology applications)
Sensory Evaluation of Snack Foods
Pilot Plant (PM)
On-line Quality Control Instrumentation
Evaluation of Samples for Quality
Interpretation of Sensory Data
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind educational program. The registration deadline is Friday, Aug. 19, 2005. For program and registration information, please contact Chris Clark (703-836-4500 ext. 218 or cclark@sfa.org) or visit us online at www.sfa.org.