Enroll for fall: online graduate course on USDA FSIS Food Law

By popular demand! Enroll now for the fall semester course on the laws & regs related to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Photo of white safety helmet with USDA logo. Text reads

Michigan State University's Institute for Food Laws and Regulations is excited to offer a new course on USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Food Law. The course is taught by Robert Saxton and co-developed with Neal Fortin and Kris DeAngelo.

The course can be taken as a stand-alone, as part of the Master of Science in Food Regulatory Affairs, or students may apply it towards a certificate in international or U.S. food law.

This online course covers the law of the USDA-FSIS regulation of the slaughter and processing of meat, poultry, and egg products sold in the United States. Topics include the history of meat inspection, the scope of FSIS’s authority, the regulation of inspection, labeling, food safety, adulteration, importation, cell-cultured meat, enforcement, and other issues related to the regulation of meat, poultry, and egg products.

The course is designed for food industry professionals without prior legal training. FSC 811/LAW 810A or the equivalent knowledge of food law is recommended.

Topics covered include (subject to change):

  • USDA-FSIS role in food regulation
  • Regulatory process overview
  • Key statutes and their provision of authority
  • FMIA, PPIA, EPIA, Whole Meat Act of 1967, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act
  • Food safety fundamentals
  • Specified Risk Materials (SRM)
  • Sanitation Performance Standards (SPS)
  • Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP)
  • Inspection methods
  • Listeria monocytogenes
  • Public Health Information System (PHIS)
  • Food safety assessment tools
  • Required FSIS labeling
  • Discretionary labeling
  • Humane handling and slaughter
  • Religious and ritual slaughter
  • Inspection programs for meat and pork
  • Inspection program for catfish
  • Inspection programs for poultry and egg products
  • Compliance and enforcement
  • USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
  • State inspection programs and FSIS
  • Cell culture of animals for food
  • Bird flu and other epizootic disease
  • Export certification
  • Import guidance

By successfully completing this course, you will:

  • Be able to locate and use relevant USDA-FSIS laws and regulations. 
  • Understand the terms of art related to FSIS regulation.
  • Understand the FSIS requirements for labeling, inspection, and food safety.
  • Understand the scope of FSIS’s authority and its enforcement powers.
  • Be aware of current USDA-FSIS food law issues and be able to discuss them and write about them.

 

Schedule

Course begins August 25 and ends December 12, 2025. This course is offered each fall semester.

Details

Registration instructions and tuition rates depend on your enrollment status.

Click here for details if you are interested in taking this course through the MS in Food Regulatory Affairs.

Click here if you wish to enroll for a single course, or wish to work towards a certificate in international or United States food law.

Click here if you wish to take the course for "info only" and not apply them towards a future certificate or degree.

Help

Please contact Mary Gebbia at iflr@msu.edu with questions about our programs or for help with enrollment.

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