Would completion of the FSPCA course satisfy requirements to become “qualified individual”?
The definition of a preventive controls qualified individual in 117.3 of the final preventive controls rule is as follows:
Preventive controls qualified individual means a qualified individual who has successfully completed training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls at least equivalent to that received under a standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by FDA or is otherwise qualified through job experience to develop and apply a food safety system.
The FSPCA course is the standardized curriculum that FDA considers adequate; taking the FSPCA training will meet the requirements in the rule for training of a preventive controls qualified individual.
How does the FSPCA training integrate with other existing training such as better process control school, GAPs etc.?
These are all separate types of training directed at specific industry segments.
Do companies subject to both USDA and FDA requirements need to take the FSPCA training?
The rule indicates that training is one way to become a qualified individual, but experience is another. The qualified individual must be familiar with all of the requirements of the FDA Preventive Controls regulations and some components of a Food Safety Plan differ from USDA HACCP requirements.