Canadian consultant and food safety and quality systems implementation expert, Frank Schreurs, will be flying into Jamaica as trainer and technical team representative for the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), as Technological Solutions Limited (TSL) partners with the United States-based SQF Institute to host a series of SQF developed and certified training sessions from October 14 – 18.

The Safe Quality Food (SQF) Programme is a rigorous and credible food safety and quality programme that is recognissd by retailers, brand owners, and food service providers worldwide.

Recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), the SQF family of food safety and quality codes are designed to meet industry, customer, and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain – from the farm all the way to the retail stores.

The five days of intensive training will see for the first time in the Caribbean the hosting of the Auditing SQF Systems Training, the sitting of the GFSI Knowledge exam as well as the hosting of the SQF Quality Code Training. This will provide local and regional firms with the opportunity to participate in all three activities without having to travel to the United States to do so.

The first leg of the course Auditing SQF Systems Training will take place between October 14 and 17, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. this includes the GFSI Auditor Knowledge Exam which will take place between 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm on October 17 while course two, ‘Implementing the SQF Quality Code’ takes place on October 18 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.

Both courses including the GFSI Exam will take place at the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites in New Kingston.

The objective of the Auditing SQF Systems Training competency-based course is to provide SQF certification auditor candidates with the foundational knowledge necessary to audit the SQF Food Safety Code. Implementing the SQF Quality Code incorporates the quality management principles necessary to achieve customer requirements and continuously improve quality and productivity.

As of June 2019, auditors applying to GFSI-recognised certification programmes such as SQFI were required to have successfully passed an exam based on the content of the GFSI benchmarking requirement.

The GFSI auditor knowledge exam is designed to assess competency across a range of skills. The exam questions cover both sector-specific technical skills such as hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), good manufacturing practice (GMP) or good agricultural practice (GAP) requirements, and standard auditing skills such as sampling and evidence gathering.

The course facilitator and trainer, Frank Schreurs has more than 30 years of management and leadership experience in the food and beverage industry. His career in the food industry began with the Kellogg Company after which he transitioned into the services sector with the Guelph Food Technology Centre. His knowledge spans supply chain as well as risk management which makes him a sought after resource person and presenter. He is a former managing director of NSF Canada and a former president and chief technical officer of the Guelph Food Technology Centre. Schreurs was also a major contributor to the development of the eigth edition of the SQF Food Safety System.

Technological Solutions Limited is the premier provider of world-class laboratory, technical, environmental, and scientific support services. The company which is in its 23rd year continues to bring cutting edge training and technical support to the Caribbean’s manufacturing and productive sector to ensure compliance withstandards and regulations of the markets they export to.