The Dairy Plant Food Safety workshop focuses mainly on pathogen control, but also includes modules on other contamination control issues like allergens and foreign materials. Participants will learn best practices and practical approaches through short lectures, hands-on small group exercises, and challenging case studies on environmental monitoring, sanitary design, and sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs). The workshop will also equip participants with the knowledge they need to develop programs in support of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) preventive controls and food safety plans.

Additionally, the Dairy Plant Food Safety workshop will leverage the Pathogen Equation—a holistic, food safety culture-based approach to ensuring effective pathogen control—to teach food safety best practices, ultimately protecting consumers and the reputation of dairy. Through peer-to-peer interaction and networking with subject matter experts, participants can expect to gain significant learning and collaborate on a topic that protects public health and the dairy industry.

Dates and locations for the upcoming Dairy Plant Food Safety workshop are as follows:

• April 30–May 1, 2025, hosted by Hilmar, California Dairies Inc., and Leprino Foods in Visalia, California
• July 9–10, 2025 hosted by Schreiber Foods in Green Bay, Wisconsin
• September 23–24, 2025, hosted by Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC and Glanbia in Lubbock, Texas
• November 11–12, 2025 hosted by Organic Valley and Land O’Lakes in Cashton, Wisconsin.

Registration information can be found at the Events webpage on usdairy.com. The fee for registration is $595.

The Innovation Center established its Food Safety Committee in 2010 to help the dairy industry improve practices and reduce risks. Since then, the Innovation Center has trained more than 5,200 people through 120 workshops focused on dairy plant food safety, artisan and farmstead cheesemaking, and supplier food safety management. The workshops are designed and taught by expert, volunteer industry professionals for the benefit of the entire dairy industry. The Innovation Center is also planning Supplier Food Safety Management workshops for 2025, details for which will be announced soon.