IDFA and Chestnut Labs continue to keep dairy industry professionals with food safety responsibilities on the cutting edge of relevant best practices and requirements with the “Hands-On Microbiological Testing, Food Safety and Laboratory Best Practices” course. Here’s what two recent attendees had to say about the course.
“I would recommend this training to all newer quality managers like myself. The combination of classroom and hands-on lab exercises really drove home the training,” said Anthony Rosso, quality assurance manager for Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.
Alan Reed, president of Reed's Dairy, Inc., commended the instructors, saying, “The people that directed and taught the class were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The hands-on part brought it all together and was very enlightening.”
New Segment on Allergen Management
Ready to attend? Join your colleagues at the next session, October 13-15 in Springfield, Mo. A new segment on allergen management has been added to this session in response to requests from members.
Specific topics will include:
- An overview of the “big eight” allergens: wheat, crustacean shellfish, eggs, fish, peanuts, milk, tree nuts, and soybeans;
- Allergen cleaning verification as a part of a food safety plan;
- Segregation within the manufacturing environment;
- Current detection methods and limits of quantification; and
- Testing food contact surfaces vs. rinse.
“This workshop provides essential information and training for dairy food safety professionals working on the production floor, in a laboratory or corporate food safety setting,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards. “It’s truly a can’t-miss workshop if you’re serious about making sure your QA personnel are appropriately trained and your food safety program is sound as companies gear up for Food Safety Modernization Act implementation.”
Expert Instructors
Allan will present a regulatory update on the Food and Drug Administration’s recent and forthcoming activities that have an impact on the dairy food industry. The Chestnut Labs instructors are Kristin Acker, general manager and vice president; Mary L. Bandu, Ph.D., director of technical services; and Haiping Li, Ph.D., director of technical services.
For more information about the course, contact Allan at jallan@idfa.org.
Class size is limited to 40 participants. To register and read the full agenda, visit the Hands-on Microbiological Testing and Laboratory Practices course microsite. For registration information, contact Maria Velasco, IDFA meetings coordinator, at registrar@idfa.org.