Intertek Alchemy offers free bird flu training course for poultry, dairy workers
The 13-minute video training is offered in English, Spanish and French Canadian French languages
12 April 2025
2 minute read
By: Intertek Alchemy, a global leader in food safety and workplace safety training solutions, is providing a cost-free essential bird flu training course to any operation that could benefit. The course, titled “Avian Influenza (Bird Flu): Overview,” is designed to educate frontline workers to understand the risks, recognize potential threats and symptoms, and provide steps organizations and employees can take to contain the virus.
The current outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1), commonly known as “bird flu,” is wreaking economic havoc in the food industry. Poultry farmers, egg producers, and dairy farmers are at the greatest risk, though the products they supply are used as ingredients for countless food manufacturers, causing ripple effects throughout the food industry. The industry is desperate for relief, and all assistance in preventing the spread of bird flu has been highly welcomed.
“We are proud we can do our part to help protect the global food supply chain, the overall economy, and human health,” said Ali Knapp, President of Intertek Alchemy. “Our courseware development team is the best in class, and this course will benefit not only the companies that use it, but also the workers who staff the front lines with the risk of this virus every day.”
According to data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the current bird flu outbreak has cost the U.S. poultry industry alone $1.4 billion, a large portion due to infected flocks being culled. Infected cattle do not need to be culled, but their milk production can be diminished by as much as 20% for up to three weeks, according to the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP). Consumers feel the impact in rising food costs, including a USDA-estimated 57.6% increase in the price of eggs in 2025.
While human cases of avian influenza are rare — the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention cites 70 human cases and one death in the U.S. since 2024 — the risk is highest for poultry and dairy workers, and many scientists fear transmissions to humans are bound to increase.
It is amidst this backdrop that Intertek Alchemy chose to make its avian influenza training course for food production workers available to any organization (or individual) at no cost. Typically, a company must be an Intertek Alchemy client licensing the Alchemy Training System to access any of the hundreds of training courses in its library. However, this 13-minute training course — available in English, Spanish, and Canadian French — can be downloaded by anyone at: www.alchemysystems.com/content/bird-flu-training-course.
“In difficult times like these, making specialized training content available to the entire industry at no cost is aligned with our company core value to ‘always do the right thing,’” said Knapp.
