ICMSF Useful Microbiological Sampling and Testing in Food Safety Workshop
Saturday, July 26, 2025 (8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
Workshop Registration Fees
- Members TBD
- Non-Members TBD
- Late-fee TBD
IAFP Workshop Cancellation Policy: Registration fees, less a $100 administration fee and any
applicable bank charges, will be refunded for written cancellations received by June 2, 2025. No
refunds will be made after July 2, however, the registration may be transferred to a colleague
who is NOT currently registered with written notification. Registrations cannot be carried to any future meetings.
Photo Policy: We occasionally use photographs of attendees in our promotional material. By
attending, you agree to such usage.
Other: Any modifications to payment method will incur a $25 processing fee.
Refunds will be processed when received.
Workshop rates are available for students upon request.
Workshop Description
The workshop introduces participants to the principles and practices of microbiological sampling & testing for food safety in the context of monitoring and verification of process control and food lot acceptance.
The set-up of the workshop is designed to provide the bigger picture of the roles of competent authorities and food business operators in food safety, drilling down to the purpose and best practices concerning microbiological sampling & testing for validation and monitoring/verification.
Participants will learn about useful microbiological testing and microbiological criteria in the context of different types of food commodities and international and national food safety standards.
In this hands-on workshop, the statistics underlying useful sampling & testing will be shared and practiced with participants. Participants will be able to use the ICMSF statistical sampling plan tool for designing and assessing the performance of microbiological sampling plans issued by Codex, governments and ICMSF.
Participants bring their laptop to the workshop. They will work in groups of two or three. Participants will receive the ICMSF sampling plan tool and an Excel spreadsheet for practicing.
The information and practical exercises provided in the workshop will help participants from food safety authorities to establish and interpret regulatory standards involving metrics for microbiological food safety compliance and to assess microbiological aspects of monitoring and verification programs of food business operators.
Food business operators will gain key insights concerning the role and use of microbiological criteria in food standards, and operational microbiological monitoring and verification programs. This will help them to use critical food safety
tools for controlling food safety and quality day-to-day in their operations and have insight in microbiological testing aspects such as pooling, compositing. There will be ample time for raising questions.
Workshop Instructors
- Leon Gorris, Food Safety Futures, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Marcel Zwietering, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
- John Donaghy, Nestle, SPN., Vevey, Switzerland
Workshop Organizers
- Leon Gorris, Food Safety Futures, Nijmegen, Netherlands
