CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) will be hosting a virtual refresher Acidified-Only Better Process Control (BPC) class on January 26. To be eligible to attend this class you mut have previously completed the BPCS course. This is only a four-hour refresher class and will not provide certification. There is no cost for the refresher class, however, space is limited and will be on a first-come-first-serve basis to the first 27 students.

“The class will review and reaffirm key points important to the safe production of acidified foods. These classes are detail oriented and cover a lot of information. We encourage those who have taken BPC classes before to attend this virtual refresher,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt.

The course will be taught by Dr. Joseph E. Marcy of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Each participant will be responsible for having their own BPC book from a previous class. BPCS is a course that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as well as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for processors of acidified and low acid canned foods. This class is not mandatory to retain certification.

Funds for this project were awarded to the WVDA through the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, 2019 Specialty Crop Block Grant program.

Registration will close on Wednesday, January 19th at 4 p.m. on the link provided: https://agriculture.wv.gov/wvda-events/

For questions related specifically to the BPCS, contact Leslie Boggess at lboggess@wvda.us or 304-558-2210.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials who sits on the Board of Public Works.