Inspection Methods Course

(IMI1_2026-1801, IMI2_2026-1801)

January 6 – January 21, 2026

Greetings, 

This upcoming Inspection Methods class will be the first Inspection Methods class in this fiscal year where all 3 weeks will be held fully in person.   Please take note of the following changes listed in the announcement.  Because class will no longer be conducted in a hybrid manner, the course name has been changed from IMH to IMI representing the in-person change. Students will now be expected to travel during the week on Monday, January 5^th, 2026 (if needed) and class will begin on Tuesday, January 6^th, 2025.  The final exam will be administered in person, at the end of class, on the last day of class, which is Wednesday, January 21^st, 2026, and students will travel home on Thursday, January 22^nd, 2026 (if needed).  Lastly, class will be held on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr holiday on January, 19^th, 2026.  If you have any questions on these changes, we will be having our upcoming CFL district coordination meeting on December 9^th, 2025 to discuss your concerns.

The final exam will be given in class on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026.

Course Overview

The Inspection Methods course covers the essential FSIS inspection verification tasks for newly promoted or newly hired Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSIs) and PHVs. This course focuses on the essential knowledge needed for the CSI position; some of the major topics covered include sanitation, Hazard Analysis Verification, HACCP verification, sampling, sanitary dressing procedures, humane handling, raw, ready-to-eat, and shelf-stable product hazards and preventive measures, the Listeria regulations, export certification, food defense, and the Public Health Information System (PHIS) establishment profile and the task calendar. This course is also part of the PHV program.

Target Audience

Newly hired or selected CSIs including those selected to work in NPIS/NSIS establishments, PHVs who have not attended PHV training, and State Inspectors.

Course Logistics

This course will be conducted in-person all 3 weeks at the designated hotel. Participants will need their government-issued computer for all 3 weeks of the IM training.

NOTE: Participants are now required to use a government-issued computer. If a government-issued computer is needed, please submit a request to CEC prior to the class.  Training computers will no longer be available for the IM class.  However, study guides will be shipped to the hotel prior to the class.  

Participants should bring their government-issued computer and power cord to the in-person training.

PHVs will also use their government-issued computer for the PHV training.

Prior to the class, District and State POCs will be provided with instructions to share with participants for accessing the training. These instructions will include logging into the computer and accessing the training website with the participant’s username and password. District and State POCs must provide this information to the participants prior to the start of the class. Participants should test the functionality of their computer and other equipment prior to the beginning of the class.

For technical assistance with accessing the training, please send an email to CFLHelpDesk@usda.gov. Do not contact the CEC Help Desk. 

Participants who do not receive a passing test result should have access to a government- issued computer & equipment for a retest.  A voluntary Retest Review Session will be held on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, from 10 am – 2pm ET in Microsoft Teams for all IM participants who failed the exam.  An instructor will send the TEAMS invitation prior to the review session.  The dates for the retest exam are February 5^th and 6^th, 2026. 

Dress Code 

Although FSIS does not have a formal dress code, the goal is to always project a positive and professional image. Some examples of inappropriate clothing in the FSIS worksite include:

·         shorts

·         flip flops

·         short skirts

·         crop tops

·         tank tops

·         clothing that is not neat, clean, and free from holes/tears or that have messages that may be offensive to others

Participants are not to wear these types of clothing to any training sessions.

If you have any questions regarding the course, send an email to: CFL.ClassRegistration@usda.gov.  

The upcoming course calendar and course materials can be accessed on the FSIS website at: Inspection Training & Videos | Food Safety and Inspection Service (usda.gov).

Also, please see the Steps for Adding a Hotel Outside of Concur attachment and follow the instructions.  We have received approval to book hotels outside of Concur for the IM training.  All participants in the IMH classes should use the hotel booking links in the course announcement. 

The links to the IM Workbook can be found here:

• IM Workbook – January 2025
  • Part 1 of 3
  • Part 2 of 3
  • Part 3 of 3
    • New RTE Case Study

Respectfully,

Class Registration Team

Office of Policy and Program Development

Training Management Staff


Food Safety Inspection Service