A new online course on antimicrobial stewardship in the food chain produced by food security consultancy FAI Farms is now available. Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Food Chain is an interactive course and an essential tool for educating professionals working in the global food industry on how to mitigate the risks of emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The course will teach participants how antibiotics work, how they are categorized, how resistant bacteria emerge and spread, how to measure medicine usage in food-producing species and how to act as an “agent of change”.
Laura Higham, course coordinator and FAI’s One Health Program manager, said that “AMR is one of the most pressing challenges facing our society. Because the use of antibiotics in agricultural systems has been identified as a risk factor for the emergence and spread of AMR in food-borne and environmental bacteria, it is imperative that all stakeholders in the food chain take action to tackle the issue.”
The course is aimed at professionals from retailers, food service businesses, suppliers, processors and farming integrations. Øistein Thorsen, director of FAI, said that "food chain executives and professionals have a unique and critical role in controlling the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals and mitigate the risks of antimicrobial resistance. Our aim with this course is to guide the participants through all aspects of the antimicrobial resistance challenge and provide them with practical advice and solutions to combat the problem. As the connector between farms, suppliers and citizens, food companies’ policies, practices and public communications can set the tone and pace for how this problem gets solved.”
The course has been designed to allow maximum flexibility for those with busy working schedules and can be completed in an attendee’s own time frame. Interactive tasks, videos, quizzes and assignments also encourage greater depth of learning. The course features expert contributions from international leaders in the field, from academia, research, industry and policy backgrounds.
For further information contact info@faifarms.com or visit learn.faifarms.co.uk.
