Taking place October 13–15, 2026 in State College, Pennsylvania, the opportunity is geared toward those developing in-house food safety programs who want to enhance their knowledge of the science and technology of cleaning, sanitizing, and pest control.
Penn State Extension will offer a series of in-person and virtual training sessions for Pennsylvania fruit and vegetable growers on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR), Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and the co-management of natural resources and food safety.
The scientists will isolate and identify pathogens like Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes from Pennsylvania wastewater using whole genome sequencing (WGS), then work with the State Department of Health to connect isolates to foodborne illness outbreaks.
In 2026, Penn State University will host a series of three-day, in-person short courses designed for food safety and quality assurance professionals, food inspectors, plant managers, sanitarians, and food engineers, overing food microbiology, food science fundamentals, sanitation, and FSMA compliance.
New research has demonstrated a low overall prevalence of Campylobacter on retail chicken meat; however, recovered C. jejuni strains did not match known poultry-associated genotypes, suggesting the need for sensitive detection methods and expanded genomic surveillance.
Thanks to a $200,000 estate gift, the Nettles Cutter Food Safety Endowment will support research in areas of microbial food safety and food safety education.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Edward Dudley, Director of the E. coli Reference Center and Professor of Food Science at Penn State University, about the potential for wastewater monitoring to aid foodborne pathogen surveillance and bolster foodborne illness reporting.
Penn State Extension will host a two-day webinar in April to help produce growers meet the requirements of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Penn State is offering an online, self-paced course for the food industry on the risks posed by Listeria monocytogenes and how the pathogen can be controlled.
Penn State Extension is offering a new online course to teach participants about the key elements and impact of food packaging. A continuing education unit is available upon completion of the course.
