Creating and maintaining a comprehensive environmental monitoring program (EMP) is becoming increasingly critical in today’s regulatory environment. That’s why IDFA is hosting a new webinar, “Building an Effective Pathogen Environmental Monitoring Program for Dairy Plants,” featuring Martin Wiedmann, DVM, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University. The webinar will be held April 13, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern time.
“These programs are vital for targeting and verifying control of pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, in plants producing ready-to-eat dairy foods and ingredients, including milk, cheese, ice cream and some dairy powders,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards, who will moderate the webinar.
Programs that effectively monitor and manage areas of microbiological risk in the plant environment can serve as "early warning systems" to identify and eliminate sources of potential contamination. However, designing and implementing a dynamic and effective environmental monitoring program can be a challenging task, and no one-size-fits-all approach will do the job.
Wiedmann will explain how dairy food companies can ensure that their environmental monitoring programs will meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration’s final hazard analysis and preventive control regulation due to be released this summer.
About Martin Wiedmann, DVM, Ph.D.
A professor at Cornell, Wiedmann also serves as director of graduate studies for the Field of Food Science and Technology at the university. His research focuses on farm-to-table food safety and the molecular biology and transmission of foodborne and zoonotic pathogens with a focus on Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella. He is particularly well-known for his work on using molecular biology tools to track sources of Listeria monocytogenes food contamination and to improve the detection of human listeriosis outbreaks.
Wiedmann was a member of the Listeria Outbreak Working Group, which was honored by a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Secretary’s Award for Superior Service in 2000. He also received the Young Scholars award from the American Dairy Science Association in 2002, the Samuel Cate Prescott Award from the Institute of Food Technologists in 2003, the International Life Sciences Institute North America Future Leaders Award in 2004, and the American Meat Institute Foundation Scientific Achievement Award in 2011.
Wiedmann is a fellow of the Institute of Technologists (IFT), a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), and a member of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology.
Members with questions about the webinar content may contact Allan at jallan@idfa.org.