The Food Safety Excellence program provides Ontario meat processors with access to free, NSF-delivered food safety courses designed to build confidence, strengthen food safety systems and support continuous improvement. Each session is instructor-led and each attendee will receive a certificate upon successful completion.
Eligibility: Free training is available only to provincially licensed meat plants in Ontario.
A two-day online course covering the essential prerequisite programs that support an effective HACCP system.
Participants learn how to:
✅ Identify and categorize hazards
✅ Identify appropriate controls for hazards
✅ Write a standard operating procedure (SOP)
✅ Conduct a gap assessment of your current practices to PRP requirements
Dates: January 20–21 and January 27–28, 2026
Cost: Free
This intermediate course guides processors step-by-step through building and documenting a complete HACCP plan.
Participants learn how to:
✅ Apply the Codex 12 steps
✅ Work through real HACCP documentation frameworks
✅ Strengthen your risk assessment and hazard control skills
✅ Meet HACCP training requirements for GFSI-benchmarked standards (BRCGS, SQF, FSSC 22000)
*Online Exam is included.
Dates: February 17–18 and February 24–25, 2026
Cost: Free
A practical, skills-focused training that equips participants to conduct effective internal audits.
Participants learn how to:
✅ Plan and scope internal audits
✅ Build audit checklists
✅ Write objective, accurate audit findings
✅ Evaluate non-conformances and corrective actions
✅ Internal auditing supports regulatory and GFSI compliance
*Online Exam is included
Date: March 2026
Cost: Free
Access previously delivered sessions covering key food safety topics to support ongoing learning across your team. These webinars are quick, valuable and led by industry experts.
Instructor: Peter Stein, Peter Stein Food Safety Solutions Inc.
This webinar explains how effective cleaning and sanitization systems help prevent recalls and safeguard your brand. You’ll also:
✅ Learn how proper sanitation practices reduce the risk of costly recalls
✅ Follow a clear, step-by-step cleaning and sanitization process
✅ Strengthen chemical safety
Location: Online
Smart Sanitation Practices is just a lunch break away!
Instructor: Nancy Ing, Datahex
This webinar explores:
✅ The benefits of going paperless
✅ How adopting paperless would help in process improvements
✅ Realistic timeline to adopt a paperless process
✅ Efficiency in wet, cold, or no-network zones in a facility
✅ Overcoming barriers & skill gaps for a smooth transition to paperless
Don’t miss this opportunity to modernize your operations!
Location: Online
Instructor: Jeff Lucas, Mérieux NutriSciences
This online course introduces the principles of HACCP, and how they can help your meat processing business:
✅ Reduce food safety risks
✅ Strengthen your facility’s food safety management system
✅ Improve overall operational efficiency
This is a great opportunity for Ontario meat processors looking to grow and modernize their operations.
Location: Online
Explore the Food Safety Excellence Tool for step-by-step guidance, templates, and resources to support your facility.
Food Safety Excellence tools and resources have been developed through funding provided by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
