ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 25, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Allen Meyers, CEC, will discuss the implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system in the school setting during the American School Food Service Association's (ASFSA) September online chat, scheduled for Thursday, September 27, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET. The chat is being held in honor of National Food Safety Education Month.
Meyers, founder of Certified Foodservice Consulting, is a certified food safety instructor and has several years of experience implementing HACCP and training school foodservice professionals. He has designed his own Food Protection Management Program as well as a USDA-approved recipe program.
The HACCP system is a food safety system designed to monitor food preparation activities, identify where errors in handling can happen, and then implement standards and procedures to eliminate those errors. A well-designed HACCP system encompasses the entire foodservice operation by following the path of potentially hazardous foods through the operation. By focusing on the factors that are critical to food safety, operators can effectively allocate time and resources to concentrate on the critical areas.
The Pillsbury Company developed the HACCP system in 1971 for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The HACCP system proved so valuable, successful and straightforward in food processing that modified HACCP systems are now widely accepted and increasingly used in the foodservice industry.
All ASFSA members and the general public are invited to participate in the chat. To participate, log on to the World Wide Web and go to ASFSA's Web site, Your Child Nutrition eSource at http://www.asfsa.org, on the day of the chat. There will be instructions on the ASFSA home page for connecting to the chat. A transcript of the chat will be available through the Web site within three days, as well.
Please note that chat participants now can receive one Continuing Education Unit (CEU) towards ASFSA Certification by attending the chat and completing a short quiz afterwards. More information can be found on this new professional development opportunity at ASFSA's Web site in the Online Education Center.
ASFSA also has scheduled a chat for October 25, 2001, at 4 p.m ET, on biotechnology. ASFSA will host chats every fourth Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. ET. In August, ASFSA.ORG hosted a chat on "Chapter Successes." The transcript for this chat is now available at http://www.asfsa.org.
ASFSA (http://www.asfsa.org) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. Founded in 1946, ASFSA is the only association devoted exclusively to protecting and enhancing children's health and well-being through school meals and sound nutrition education.
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CONTACT: American School Food Service Association, Alexandria
(703) 739-3900
Joseph Haas, ext. 122
Laura Hanley, ext. 116