This intensive 8-week project-based course is tailored for professionals in the food industry, delivering advanced, science-driven Root Cause Analysis (RCA) skills to investigate high-stakes food safety failures—such as pathogen contamination, allergen cross-contact, foreign material incidents, or product recalls—while developing defensible corrective actions, regulatory compliance under FSMA and standards like SQF/BRC, and measurable risk reduction. Participants master universal RCA methodologies, including Problem Definition using Physics of Failure and 5W2H, Forensic Data Collection, Causal Modeling with Logic Trees and Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagrams, Risk Quantification via FMEA, Human Factors Analysis, CAPA Engineering with Poka-Yoke error-proofing, Verification of Effectiveness (VoE) through challenge testing, Regulatory Reporting, and Cost-Benefit Analysis. The course features weekly 2-hour sessions blending shared theory instruction, hands-on application to real-world projects from participants' organizations (e.g., persistent Listeria in RTE facilities or Salmonella in dry-blending), and progress reporting for peer feedback.

Total Duration:

Approximately 16 contact hours (weekly virtual sessions convenient for working professionals). Project-Based Component: Significant emphasis on customized, high-impact projects progressing from problem statement to full CAPA implementation, verification protocols, audit-ready reports, and ROI presentations, culminating in a Final Project Showcase. Format: Lectures, industry-specific exercises, case study discussions (e.g., microbial persistence, supply chain disruptions), and milestone reviews. Please note, all the sessions are live but will be recorded so if you can not attend a live session, you can watch the recording on your own schedule prior to the next class.

Target Audience:

Quality directors, food safety team members, HACCP coordinators, operations managers, compliance officers, and technical staff in food manufacturing, processing, or distribution.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will confidently conduct scientific RCA to defend investigations during FDA or certification audits, translate findings into strategic preventive controls and business decisions, develop effective CAPA with verification, produce regulatory-ready documentation, and prevent recurrence of food safety and quality issues for enhanced organizational resilience.

Course Philosophy: 

Moving beyond "Human Error" to systemic engineering and cultural solutions. This course utilizes the Scientific Method (Observation, Hypothesis, Experimentation, Validation) as the backbone of problem-solving.