Better Training for Safer Food

The programme aims to keep participants up-to-date with European law in the areas mentioned above and should help to ensure more harmonised and efficient controls. Efficient controls are an essential factor in maintaining high levels of consumer protection, animal health and plant health. Harmonisation of controls should help to create a level playing field for food businesses.

Training is also organised specifically for non-EU, particularly developing, country participants so as to familiarise them with EU requirements. This should help to ease access to the EU market for products from developing countries.

The training is open to staff of competent authorities. In the UK this means local authority staff may apply to attend. Not all the training provided is relevant to local authority staff, but the Agency, which is the National Contact Point for the UK, notifies local authorities of relevant training on food and feed law that may be of interest and invites applications to attend. This is usually done by direct communication to a local authority’s dedicated mailbox.

You can read more about Better Training for Safer Food, including the Annual Report for 2011, on the EU website at the address to the EU website below:

Better Training for Safer Food website

As the training is for all EU member states as well as other non-EU countries, it should be noted that the UK has only a small number of places at each workshop, often no more than one, and in some cases, none at all. An application to attend one of the courses, therefore, does not guarantee you a place.

Please note that all applications for any of the workshops must be submitted via the relevant National Contact Point. For the UK, this is the Food Standards Agency, so all applications should be emailed to Bob Pilling at robert.pilling@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk not directly to the Commission or project manager. You can also contact Bob at this email address, or by telephone on 020 7276 8436, if you want to find out more about Better Training for Safer Food.

The European Commission will fund flights, accommodation, meals and field visits in full. Any other cost will need to be paid by the participants. The courses are organised by external contractors who will contact the participants about practical arrangements.

There is no cost to the local authority.

The workshops take place in different countries around Europe. A list of training that is relevant to local authority staff and where places may still be currently available is as follows:

Food Contact Material – basic and advanced
14 – 16 May 2013 (advanced) - Vilnius

HACCP implementation and assessment
13 – 17 May 2013 – Malta
10 – 14 June 2013 – Hungary
17 – 21 June 2013 – Porto
17 - 21 June 2013 – Malta
1 – 5 July 2013 – Porto
1 – 5 July 2013 France (please note the language for this course is French)
8 – 12 July 2013 – Porto
15 – 19 July 2013 – Hungary
2 – 6 September 2013 – UK
9 - 13 September 2013 - Malta
16 - 20 September 2013 - France (please note the language for this course is French)
23 - 27 September 2013 - Germany (please note the language for this course is German)
30 September - 4 October 2013 - UK
7 - 11 October 2013 - Porto
14 - 18 October 2013 - Germany (please note the language for this course is German)
21 - 25 October 2013 - UK

Food hygiene and controls
Meat and meat products courses 2013
27 - 31 May 2013 - Brno
17 - 21 June 2013 - Lisbon
30 September - 4 October 2013 - Brno

Milk and dairy products courses 2013
27 - 31 May 2013 - Brescia
24 - 28 June 2013 - Dublin
7 - 11 October 2013 - Budapest

Fishery products and live bivalve molluscs courses 2013
20 - 24 May 2013 - Chioggia (LBMs)
16 - 20 September 2013 - Hirtshals

Baby Food courses 2013
13 - 17 May 2013 - Trim
9 - 14 June 2013 - Barcelona
8 - 12 July 2013 - Utrecht
1 - 6 September 2013 - Barcelona
21 - 25 October 2013 - Utrecht

Import Controls on Certain Feed and Food of Non-Animal Origin courses 2013*
13 - 15 May 2013 - Riga
18 - 21 June 2013 - Rotterdam
24 - 27 September 2013
15 - 18 October 2013
5 - 7 November 2013

*These courses are only suitable for officers who work at Designated Points of Entry (DPEs) as detailed in Regulation 669/2009.

Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) use at import of products of plant origin courses 2013*
29 - 31 May 2013 - Tallinn
18 - 20 September 2013 - Alicante
23 - 25 October 2013 - Turin

*These courses are only suitable for officers who work at Designated Points of Entry (DPEs) as detailed in Regulation 669/2009.

Feed law courses**

**These courses are only suitable for officers who undertake official controls at a range of feed businesses, including feed mills and additive manufacturers.

Training courses on Microbiological Criteria
Microbiological criteria

Control of Zoonoses

Food additives and the control of their use and marketing
4-7 June 2013: Madrid
24-27 September 2013: Lisbon

EC 'Better Training for Safer Food initiative': Training courses on Risk Assessment
13-17 May 2013 Pest – Vilnius

Training courses on the Control Microbiological Criteria in Foodstuffs
27 - 30 May 2013 - Tallinn
24 - 27 June 2013 - Rome
21 - 24 October 2013 - Tallinn
25 - 28 November 2013 - Madrid
19 - 22 May 2014 - Tallinn
16 - 19 June 2014 - Rome
1 - 4 September 2014 - Madrid
15 - 18 September 2014 - Tallinn

Training courses on Food-Borne Outbreaks Investigation
2 - 6 September 2013 - Lisbon
30 September - 4 October 2013 - Tallinn
7 - 11 October 2013 - Rome
4 - 8 November 2013 - Tallinn
2 - 6 December 2013 - Lisbon
3 - 7 February 2014 - Rome
3 - 7 March 2014 - Tallinn
31 March - 4 April 2014 - Rome
5 - 9 May 2014 - Lisbon
23 - 27 June 2014 - Tallinn
22 - 26 September 2014 - Rome
20 - 24 October 2014 - Lisbon
3 - 7 November 2014 - Tallinn
24 - 28 November 2014 - Lisbon