Eliminating the threat of Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella contamination in a dairy plant is no easy task, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, a robust environmental monitoring program (EMP) will significantly reduce microbiological risk for ready-to-eat (RTE) dairy products, serving as an early warning system to identify potential sources of contamination and verify the effectiveness of sanitation and employee hygiene controls.

IDFA is offering a 1.5 hour webinar on developing an effective environmental monitoring program with Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D., of Cornell University, on April 13 at 1:00 p.m. The webinar, “Building an Effective Pathogen Environmental Program for Dairy Plants,” is geared towards dairy plant managers, production and sanitation supervisors, food safety and quality assurance personnel, and RTE ingredient suppliers.

Wiedmann, a renowned food microbiologist with Cornell’s Department of Food Science, will guide webinar attendees through steps to ensure that an effective EMP is in place in their facilities. He also will explain how an effective EMP will help them to meet the requirements in the Food and Drug Administration’s final hazard analysis and preventive control regulations stemming from the Food Safety Modernization Act.

“It is critically important – both for consumer safety and in the context of proposed food safety regulations – that an effective EMP is in place,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards. “Once the final preventive controls rule is rolled out later this summer, and FDA begins enforcement a year after, FDA will be putting a lot of focus on how well dairy plants, specifically those producing ready-to-eat products, are implementing EMPs and following-up with appropriate corrective actions to prevent contamination of those products.

“IDFA is committed to ensuring our industry is not only well-prepared to meet basic U.S. regulatory requirements, but setting the standard for world-class food safety programs,” Allan said.

Register for this webinar here.

For more information, contact Maria Velasco, IDFA meetings coordinator and registrar, at 202-220-3524 or mvelasco@idfa.org.