Contact: Jeannette Roeder
jroeder@idfa.org >
(202) 220-3562

(Washington, D.C. - September 24, 2010) The International Dairy Foods Association is pleased to announce its 2010-2011 meetings and conferences calendar.

IDFA Webinar on FDA Inspections: What You Need to Know
September 30, October 4
A better-funded Food and Drug Administration with many new field investigators has embarked on a massive new initiative to inspect food plants. Plant staff and management need to know the regulatory background being used by FDA investigators, including limits on their authority, as well as legal protections afforded the dairy processing industry. The instructor will be Martin Hahn, partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP, who is a leading expert in advising food plants on how to survive FDA investigations.

IDFA's Advanced HACCP Short Course
October 6-7
Offices of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), Rosemont, Ill.
IDFA's Advanced Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Short Course for Dairy & Juice Products will use team exercises and extensive reference materials including dairy and juice models. The course will also use expert presentations to provide comprehensive instruction on the development of HACCP food safety programs within all dairy and juice operations. The short course is designed to meet the training requirements established for Grade A dairy plants as well as the Food and Drug Administration's juice HACCP regulation.

Dairy Industry Orientation
October 13
Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago, Ill.
The U.S. dairy industry is complex, with dynamic trends in farm production, processing, consumption patterns and government regulations. All dairy professionals who are new to the industry or who want to expand their knowledge of the industry will want to attend this one-day Dairy Industry Orientation meeting with seasoned instructor Bob Yonkers, Ph.D., IDFA vice president and chief economist.

IDFA's Webinar Series on Dairy Product Labeling
October 19, 20, 21
Dairy company employees must know the specific requirements for labeling dairy foods to avoid the waste and costly fines that result from mislabeling. This webinar series will provide all the information needed to produce compliant and effective labels for dairy products. The three sessions - "Introduction to Labeling," "Nutrition Labeling and Claims" and "Labeling Hot Topics" - will be interactive, allowing for participants' questions.

IDFA's BRC Implementation Workshop for Food Plants
October 26-28
Offices of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), Rosemont, Ill.
The IDFA-sponsored British Retail Consortium (BRC) Implementation Workshop for Food Plants will use the North American version of the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety. Participants will learn to use practical tools to develop and implement a food-safety and quality program. By properly applying the workshop training and tools, food plants will meet or surpass customer requirements and receive BRC certification.

Dairy Forum 2011
January 23-26, 2011
Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, Fla.
IDFA's premier meeting brings together leaders from all sectors of the dairy industry - producers, processors, cooperative leaders and suppliers - to discuss the latest market, regulatory and industry trends. Program highlights will include the presentation of several industry awards, such as the National Cheese Institute Laureate Award, the IDFA Soaring Eagle Award and the Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year Award. Dairy Forum 2011 will feature the annual golf tournament and a range of activities for families.

International Sweetener Colloquium
February 13-16, 2011
Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, Calif.
This annual event provides a unique opportunity for key players from the sweetener, biofuels and ingredients sectors to discuss the most pressing issues facing the global sweetener industry. Hosted by IDFA and the Sweetener Users Association, the International Sweetener Colloquium will address the sweetener industry's latest challenges, obstacles and opportunities with presentations from a wide range of speakers, including government officials, industry executives, journalists and academics.

Ice Cream Technology Conference
March 2-3, 2011
Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Fla.
This premier event for ice cream and frozen dessert professionals is the only meeting that focuses specifically on frozen dessert research, technology, new market trends and opportunities. Ice Cream Tech will encourage an open exchange among participants and experts on the technical and practical processing issues pertinent to the frozen dessert industry. The meeting will offer networking opportunities and product tasting during the annual Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Competition.

Milk Procurement Workshop
March 16-17
Hyatt Rosemont, Rosemont, Ill.
This workshop will provide an overview of dairy industry basics, including the components of milk, marketing, production, distribution and consumption. It also will cover how milk and dairy products are priced both inside and outside the Federal Milk Marketing Order System.

Milk & Cultured Dairy Products Symposium
March 21-23, 2011
InterContinental Chicago O'Hare, Rosemont, Ill.
This symposium will explore cutting-edge innovations in the use of ingredients, processing technology and analytical methods, as well as packaging and product development for milk and dairy beverages and for cultured products, such as yogurt, sour creams, buttermilk and cottage cheese.

The program will provide in-depth technical sessions on cultured dairy product formulation, culture selection, market and flavor trends, and innovation. The symposium will also focus on sustainability, dairy nutrition research, labeling, marketing, changes in regulations affecting the Grade A program and new FDA food safety regulations. Attendees will judge the Most Innovative Cultured Dairy Product Competition and the Most Innovative Milk or Dairy Beverage Competition.

Dairy Cost Accounting Workshop
May 10-11, 2011
Hyatt Regency Rosemont, Rosemont, Ill.
Efficiency, strategy and skill will be the focus of every session at the 2011 Dairy Cost Accounting Workshop. Attendees will learn the ins and outs of milk pricing, tax credits, cost segregation, federal and state milk reports, cost centers and measuring plant efficiency. Get the scoop on the latest software, best practices and industry benchmarks. Continuing Professional Education Credits (CPE) will be awarded with the completion of this workshop.

Dairy Sustainability Symposium
May 25-26, 2011
The James Hotel, Chicago, Ill.
IDFA's Dairy Sustainability Symposium is designed to help attendees understand sustainability and target ways to decrease their company's carbon footprint while increasing plant efficiency. The symposium will provide them with latest sustainability information in the dairy industry, including case studies from prominent food manufacturing companies.

Washington Conference
June 22-23, 2011
Washington Court Hotel, Washington, D.C.
This annual event provides attendees with valuable dairy policy briefings and the opportunity to meet and discuss industry priorities with policy-makers in Washington. The agenda each year includes a review of pending legislation, grassroots techniques and invaluable networking opportunities with key members of Congress. The program also includes IDFA's Annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party, now in its 29th year.

International Dairy Show
September 19-21, 2011
Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga.
The second annual International Dairy Show will feature the newest innovations in technology, packaging, ingredients and services for the dairy foods industry. Educational sessions will offer solutions that span the entire manufacturing process, and attendees will have the opportunity to visit exhibits displaying everything dairy companies need to run more efficiently, create new products and improve profitability.

Sponsorships Also Available

"Sponsorships are a great way to showcase products and services to industry professionals during IDFA meetings," said Diana Carmenates, IDFA vice president of meetings and educational services. "Event sponsorship can be especially effective because you can reach a wide range of audiences, such as executives and other decision-makers in the dairy industry."

More information on sponsorships is available here. 

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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, DC, represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $110-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States.