Better Process Control School (BPCS)

A training program for the processed food industry to prepare industry practitioners and to help companies meet federal regulations. The course is beneficial to personnel in plants who pack and thermally process low-acid and acidified foods in hermetically sealed containers for shelf stable conditions. This includes canned foods, aseptically processed and packaged foods, and pickled products.

Cornell University is part of the network of universities that deliver the Better Process Control School in partnership with the Consumer Brands Association (CBA) utilizing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved curriculum. The FDA regulations in 21 CFR 108, 113, and 114 became effective May 15, 1979, requiring that each processor of low-acid or acidified foods operate with a certified supervisor on-hand at all times during processing. These regulations are designed to prevent public health problems in low-acid and acidified canned foods. The BPCS course also meets U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations 9 CFR 318.300 and 381.300 for thermally processed meat and poultry products. The BPCS subject areas include thermal processing system operations, microbiological food safety, sanitation, container handling, record keeping, equipment operations, acidification, and container closure evaluation programs for low acid and acidified canned foods.

The BPCS program is an important and valuable educational opportunity for mid-level managers and employees of food processing plants that utilize thermal processing. The course is an excellent platform to improve food safety training for food safety and quality assurance personnel, individuals who work with canned, aseptic and flexible packaged food products, academia, and government auditors and inspectors.

3 Different Versions Available

• Acidified Only: 2 Day Course, Teleconference (Zoom) | $360 (does not include cost of the book)
• Aseptic and Acidified: 3 Day Course | $500–$900 (varies based on delivery method & book cost)
• Acidified and Low Acid Foods: 2–4 Day Course | $500–$900 (varies based on delivery method & book cost)

Upcoming Dates

• BPCS (Acidified Only) – October 26–27, 2026 | Virtual (2 half days via Zoom) – $360
• BPCS (Acidified Only) – December 7–8, 2026 | Virtual (2 half days via Zoom) – $360

Cornell Food Connections

Are you an aspiring or early-stage food and beverage entrepreneur looking to grow your business and bring new products to market? Cornell Food Connections, a partnership among Cornell AgriTech, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Taste NY and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, is a series of workshops that will equip food producers with the expertise they need to develop products for retail and institutional sale.

Food scientists Bruno Xavier, Ph.D ‘08, Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center, and Cynthia James, M.S., Extension Support Specialist with the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University and Cornell Food Venture Center, will lead the workshops.

This program is designed to train food entrepreneurs and producers, as well as current food educators, such as Cornell Cooperative Extension staff and other food development partners. Please note that registrants must live and/or be growing or producing in New York state to be eligible to participate in the workshop.

The $25 program fee includes lunch and all the supplies needed for the workshop.

Upcoming Dates

• Cornell Food Connections – October 14, 2026 | In-person (CCE Onondaga County, Syracuse) – $25
• Cornell Food Connections – October 21, 2026 | In-person (CCE Rensselaer County, Troy) – $25
• Cornell Food Connections – November 2, 2026 | In-person (CCE Jefferson County, Watertown) – $25

Juice HACCP

Juice HACCP commonly refers to the use of HACCP plans to minimize food safety risks in the juice processing, packaging, and transportation industries. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. Significant hazards for a particular juice, puree, or concentrate are identified based upon scientific information. The steps at which these hazards can be controlled within the process are identified, and the critical limits at each of the key process steps are set. Monitoring procedures are implemented to evaluate conformance with these critical limits. The HACCP plan relies on extensive verification and documentation to assure that food safety has not been compromised. Thus, HACCP provides a structure for assessing risks, and for putting the controls in place to minimize such risks.

Under the federal Juice HACCP rule published in 2001, juice processors must comply with two requirements: (1) Subpart A of the rule requires use of HACCP principles and systems in their operations; (2) Subpart B of the rule requires that processors implement treatment(s) to reduce a theoretical population of “pertinent” microorganisms in the juice by 99.999% or 5-log cycles. The “pertinent” microorganism is defined as the most resistant microorganism of public health significance that is likely to occur in the juice.

Juice processors that meet the definition of “retail” establishments are not covered by the federal juice HACCP regulation but must comply with other federal and state rules that regulate juice production. Retail establishments are manufacturers that prepare and provide all of their juice production directly
to consumers and do not sell or distribute (wholesale) juice to other businesses.

Upcoming Dates

• Juice HACCP – November 5, 2026 | In-person (G34 Food Research Lab, 665 W. North St., Geneva, NY 14456) – $525