Webinars

The list below shows upcoming webinars held by IAFP and IAFP’s Professional Development Groups (PDGs). Please note that all opinions and statements are those of the individual making the presentations and not necessarily the opinion or view of IAFP.

Upcoming Webinars

  • Life in the Dry: Food Safety and Risk Management Options Associated with Low Moisture Foods Apr 22, 2026 (2:00 PM-3:30 PM Eastern Time)

    The reduction in water activity through drying or solute addition represents one of the oldest preservation methods known. Low Moisture Foods (LMF) represents a broad sector and encompasses cereals & grains, spices, tea, seeds, nuts, fruit & vegetables, preserves, meat and dairy, amongst others. The commonality between LMF is a low water activity (<0.88) to prevent microbial growth. However, LMF have been implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks with Salmonella contaminated pistachios being a recent example. The following presentation will provide an overview of food safety of LMF along with examples of outbreaks and pathogens of concern. The response of pathogens to enable persistence in the dry state will be outlined along with potential risk management options. With regards the latter, a focus will be placed on gas phase hydroxyl-radical process treatments that facilitate pathogen inactivation without contributing moisture to the product.

    Learning Objectives:

    Be aware of classification of low moisture foods and examples of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to LMF

    Understand how pathogens such as Salmonella adapt to low moisture environments

    Identify the significance and challenges in studying dry biofilms

    Be aware of risk management options to control human pathogens in low moisture foods and environments

    Presenters
    • Keith Warriner, Speaker University of Guelph
    • Jennifer C. Acuff, Speaker University of Arkansas
    • Siyun Wang, Moderator University of British Columbia
  • Intro to Gen-FS: An overview of the Genomics for Food and Feed Safety Collaboration Apr 30, 2026 (2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern Time)

    Gen-FS, the Interagency Collaboration on Genomics for Food and Feed Safety, unites several federal agencies: CDC, FDA, NIH-NLM-NCBI, USDA FSIS, APHIS, and ARS, alongside state public health laboratories and academic partners, to advance genomics-based food safety surveillance. As whole genome sequencing and related technologies become standard tools in pathogen detection and outbreak investigation, understanding how Gen-FS coordinates methods, validates sequencing approaches, and standardizes data will benefit the broader food safety community. This webinar will introduce participants to the structure, mission, and core activities of Gen-FS, with a focus on how publicly available genomic surveillance data is generated, quality-assured, and made accessible. Attendees will gain foundational knowledge to better utilize Gen-FS resources in research, regulatory, and applied food safety contexts. This webinar will be followed up by a half-symposia session focused on recent advances in Gen-FS at the 2026 IAFP Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

    Learning Objectives

    By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

    1. Describe the structure and mission of Gen-FS, including the roles of participating federal agencies and collaborating partners such as state public health laboratories and academic institutions.

    2. Explain how Gen-FS coordinates genomics methods and data standards, including efforts to improve sequence data quality and support machine-readable contextual data across clinical, food, and environmental samples.

    3. Identify key Gen-FS resources such as NCBI Pathogen Detection and describe how these can be accessed and applied by academia, third-party laboratories, food production companies, and government scientists.

    Presenters
    • Heather Carleton, Speaker CDC
    • William Klimke, Speaker NCBI
    • Ruth Timme, Moderator FDA
  • Clostridium botulinum in Dairy: Risk, Control, and Prevention Strategies – A Live Expert Roundtable May 4, 2026 (12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Eastern Time)

    Organized by the Dairy Quality and Safety PDG

    Join us for a live, interactive roundtable discussion with industry experts as we explore where risk emerges in dairy systems (e.g., on dairy farms) and what practical control strategies work in real-world operations. This session will provide actionable insights for food manufacturing professionals and the larger food safety community.

    Topics to discuss will include understanding the hazard of Clostridium botulinum, the 2025-2026 outbreak of infant botulism in US, and managing risks in the dairy industry through prevention and control strategies. The webinar will have a specific focus on dairy powders but may cover other dry products.

    Learning Objectives:Explore how Clostridium botulinum risk emerges in dairy systems
    Review the 2025-2026 US outbreak
    Discuss practical strategies for managing Clostridium botulinum

    Presenters
    • Nicole Martin, Speaker Cornell University
    • Miquela Hanselman, Speaker NMPF
    • Kristin Schill, Speakers University of Wisconsin
    • Sarah Murphy, Moderator FDA