The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has announced its 2026 schedule of in-person food safety workshops designed to strengthen dairy manufacturing practices, advance regulatory compliance, and protect consumers from foodborne risks.

Through hands-on, industry-led training programs, the checkoff-founded Innovation Center provides a pre-competitive forum for dairy processors, suppliers, and allied partners to collaborate on improving food safety performance across the value chain. Since launching its Food Safety Committee in 2010, the Innovation Center has trained more than 5,500 professionals through 125 workshops focused on dairy plant food safety, artisan and farmstead cheesemaking, and supplier food safety management.

Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop

The Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop provides practical, hands-on training to help participants enhance their food safety programs and strengthen preventive controls aligned with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The two-day workshop combines short lectures, small-group exercises, and real-world case studies covering environmental monitoring, sanitary design, sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs), allergen control, and foreign material prevention.

The curriculum is grounded in “the Pathogen Equation,” a science-based framework that emphasizes the systematic control of pathogens in dairy operations. Workshops are taught by industry professionals and encourage collaboration and peer learning, offering participants an opportunity to exchange best practices with colleagues across the industry.

All workshops cover wet and dry product operations. The registration fee is $595 per participant.

The 2026 Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop schedule is as follows:

• March 31–April 1 in Greeley, Colorado, hosted by Leprino Foods and Hilmar Cheese
• June 30–July 1 in Madison, Wisconsin, hosted by Sargento Foods, Foremost Farms, and the Center for Dairy Research
• September 22–23 in Arden Hills, Minnesota, hosted by Land O’Lakes
• August 26–27 in Pasco, Washington, hosted by Darigold and Tillamook Cheese.

Registration is now open for the workshops here.

Supplier Food Safety Management Workshop

The Supplier Food Safety Management Workshop is designed for dairy companies and their supply partners seeking to strengthen food safety performance across their supply networks. The program provides a science-based framework to identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with ingredients, packaging, equipment, and services.

Participants will learn how to build or enhance supply chain programs aligned with FSMA requirements, including hazard identification, preventive control verification, and supplier performance evaluation.

A workshop date and location will be announced soon.

Pathogen Control Guidance 2.0

Additionally, the Innovation Center is offering Pathogen Control Guidance 2.0, a downloadable resource developed by dairy food safety experts. The recently updated guide includes expanded best practices for wet and dry processing environments, hygienic separation, and brine system management. It also aligns with “The Pathogen Equation,” reinforcing the principles taught in the Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshops.

The guide is available here.