GMPs, Safety & Sanitation for Cidery Owners and Operators

This online course - developed by CINA instructors at Cornell's College of Agriculture & Life Sciences - is a Core Module for CINA's Advanced Certificate in Cider & Perry Production. It is specifically designed for cidery owners and operators and requires the submission of a HACCP plan at the end of the class. For cidery employees looking for a scaled-down course to meet annual safety training requirements, please refer to Good Manufacturing Practices for Cidery Employees.

How can you ensure that your product is safe for consumers? How can you ensure that your workplace is safe for employees? How can you ensure that your sanitation program is adequate to prevent spoilage? How can you prove any of the above to customers or government inspectors? The modern marketplace and regulatory environment demands that cider and perry producers adopt documented, repeatable procedures to ensure that products and production environments are safe and sanitary. Fortunately, there are a number of programs that have been developed with these specific issues in mind.

This course offers an introduction to key quality, safety and sanitation terms and techniques, as well as the formal approaches that underpin modern food production. The online content will cover current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), preventive controls, occupational safety, sanitation and record-keeping. This course is taught via pre-recorded videos and includes one live zoom session with industry experts.

This course aims to teach cidery owners and operators to:

• Understand the importance of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Quality Assurance (QA) & Quality Control (QC) in all aspects of the cider and perry production process to ensure product and process safety and quality
• Have a fundamental knowledge and understanding about the principles, range and application of GMP, QA and QC systems and method
• Recognize and review the development and implementation of GMP operations throughout the whole cider and perry manufacturing process
• Understand the importance and application of HACCP
• Operate safe and effective working practices throughout the production of cider and perry
• Understand the importance and effective application of sanitization and plant and equipment maintenance
• Recognize the importance of good record keeping

Length: This online course is self-directed and open for six weeks, with 5 hours of recorded content. There will be a 1.5-hour live synchronous Zoom session to meet with instructors and guest speakers. Attendance is optional and the session will be recorded.

Modular Credit: 1.0 (out of 6.0 Module Credits required for the Advanced Certificate in Cider & Perry Production)

Prerequisite: Foundation Certificate in Cider & Perry Production and / or extensive experience in cider production.

The price of this course is USD $650 + ticketing fees and includes six weeks of access to all pre-recorded content. Students may send a check to avoid service charges - contact brighid@ciderinstitute.com for more information.

Cancellations received before September 1 will be refunded 100%, minus the service fee. Cancellations received September 1-14 will be refunded 50% minus the service fee. Cancellations received on or after September 15 are non-refundable; however, substitutes from the same organization are welcome.