Cary Frye, IDFA senior vice president of regulatory affairs, presented her 11^th consecutive annual lecture last week to attentive ice cream industry up-and-comers participating in Penn State University’s globally renowned Ice Cream Short Course. The course is the nation’s oldest educational program for ice cream science and technology and has trained more than 4,400 professionals since it began in 1892.

This year 140 students attended more than 25 lectures and six laboratory sessions in the weeklong course, and a third of them represent IDFA member companies. The sessions covered specialized areas of ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturing, including ingredients and formulations, commercial processing methods and evaluations of product quality.

Frye’s lecture included information on complex requirements for safe handling and accurate labeling of food allergens in the manufacturing of ice cream in processing plants or in the sale of ice cream in small-scale scoop shops. She also addressed changes in ice cream nutrition labeling and new standards for serving sizes, as well as shared a regulatory update that included information on activities currently underway at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Frye spent additional time reviewing the newly announced Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It was wonderful to be back to lecture at the Ice Cream Short Course with students who are just as passionate about ice cream as me,” said Frye. “This course, directed by Dr. Robert Roberts, professor and head of the Penn State’s food science department, fills an important need for training the next generation of ice cream industry experts and entrepreneurs.”

For more information about the course, view “Ice Cream Short Course” on the Penn State Department of Food Science website.

Members with questions may contact Frye at cfrye@idfa.org.