Free CPD-Accredited Intermediate Certificate Course Gives Food Processing Workers the HACCP Foundation That Keeps Contamination Off the Shelf and Out of the Supply Chain
Alison has launched a new CPD-accredited certificate course: HACCP Food Safety Systems in Processing. This free intermediate-level online course gives food processing workers, quality assurance staff, and food manufacturing personnel the step-by-step HACCP grounding they need to identify food safety hazards, understand where contamination enters the processing pipeline, and prepare the prerequisite information required before a HACCP food safety plan can be built and implemented. No cost, no barrier — just the foundational knowledge that underpins safe food manufacturing everywhere.
Reviewed by food safety and regulatory compliance expert Jeremy Carter, CP-FS — a PCQI-certified practitioner with more than fifteen years of experience across FDA- and USDA/FSIS-regulated food, beverage, and dietary supplement operations — the course takes learners from the basics of food safety and food processing through to hazard identification and the key preparatory steps that precede any HACCP system. By the end, learners will be able to identify where biological, chemical, and physical hazards can appear in a processing environment, understand the purpose and structure of HACCP, and contribute confidently to food safety compliance in their workplace.
When Processing Fails, the Consequences Travel Far
The difference between food service and food processing is one of scale — and scale changes everything. A contamination event in a restaurant may affect dozens of people. A contamination event in a food processing facility can affect hundreds of thousands, across dozens of countries, weeks or months after the affected product left the line. The history of food safety is marked by exactly these incidents: Listeria in ready-to-eat deli meats. E. coli in ground beef. Salmonella in peanut butter distributed across hundreds of product lines and retail outlets. In each case, the failure occurred somewhere in the processing chain — and in each case, a properly implemented HACCP system was either absent, incomplete, or not followed.
The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points framework exists precisely to prevent these failures systematically. Originally developed for NASA's Apollo programme, where food safety failures in space were simply not survivable, HACCP has become the cornerstone of food safety regulation in manufacturing environments worldwide. In the United States, the Food Safety Modernization Act — the most comprehensive overhaul of food safety legislation in more than seventy years — made HACCP-based Preventive Controls mandatory for the vast majority of food manufacturers. The European Union's food hygiene regulations under EC 852/2004 require HACCP-based systems across all food businesses. Canada, Australia, and regulators across Asia and beyond have adopted equivalent frameworks. The standard is global — and so is the expectation that anyone working in food processing understands it.
Yet for many people working on processing lines, in quality control roles, or entering the food manufacturing sector, HACCP has remained an abstract compliance requirement rather than a practical, understood system. Training has been available primarily through expensive specialist programmes, often accessible only to quality managers and senior technical staff — leaving a large proportion of the processing workforce without the foundational knowledge that their roles demand.
Building HACCP Knowledge From the Ground Up
Jeremy Carter, CP-FS, the course's subject matter expert, is clear on what that foundation requires: "HACCP is the foundation of every credible food safety program, and this course gives learners a clear, practical grounding in how to identify hazards and control them at the points that matter most. It balances the regulatory fundamentals with the real-world judgment that food safety work demands, which is exactly what new and growing professionals need."
Mike Feerick, Founder and CEO of Alison, added: "The global food supply depends on people in processing facilities understanding HACCP — not just managers and compliance officers, but every worker who is part of the production chain. Making that foundational knowledge freely available to anyone with an internet connection is exactly what Alison is for."
This launch further strengthens Alison's food safety portfolio — now spanning kitchen compliance, HACCP for food service, temporary event safety, allergen awareness, and food processing — reinforcing its mission to make essential professional training freely accessible to workers everywhere.
To learn more or enrol in the course, visit: alison.com/course/haccp-food-safety-systems-in-processing
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About Alison
Alison is a global leader in free online learning and skills development. With over 50 million registered learners across 193 countries (as of October 2025), Alison empowers individuals, communities, and organisations to upskill quickly and effectively – at zero cost.
The Alison platform provides immediate access to over 6,000 free, CPD-accredited courses, covering essential areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Business Operations, Healthcare and Sustainability. Courses are created by a mix of independent experts and global leaders, including IBM, Stanford and Microsoft.
For organisations, Alison offers a Free Learning Management System (LMS) that enables unlimited learners to access thousands of courses with no upfront cost. A premium version with advanced analytics and customisation is also available. Alison's offering includes a full suite of assessments and psychometric tools, including a Workplace Personality Assessment, Mental Health & Wellbeing Assessment, English Language Proficiency Test, as well as Numerical, Verbal, and Abstract Reasoning tests.
To further support career development, learners also gain access to a Career Guide, a Resumé Builder, and the ability to study offline through the Alison App. The platform is also expanding its reach with multilingual versions, starting with complete Spanish, French, and Hindi offerings — reaffirming its mission to make education accessible to anyone, anywhere.
Founded in 2007, Alison pioneered the concept of free, large-scale online learning and is recognised as the world’s first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform. Today, its mission continues: to break down barriers to learning, helping people gain skills, build confidence, and improve their lives — no matter where they live or what they earn.
