Webinars

Upcoming Webinars

• Predicting the Troublemakers: Guidance and a Computer Tool to Predict Microbial Growth May 15, 2025 (11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time)

  This webinar brings together industry and academic experts to share up-to-date approaches to microbial prediction, standardization efforts, and practical predictive tools for product design and microbial shelf-life determination.

  Heidy den Besten, Wageningen University

  How to predict growth of microorganisms?

  This presentation will cover the fundamental principles of microbial growth prediction, including key factors affecting growth kinetics and mathematical models.

  Mariem Ellouze, Ferrero

  Development of an international standard on the determination and use of cardinal values for growth

  The International Standardization Organisation (ISO) is working on an international standard to determine and use cardinal values for microbial growth prediction. The need for standardization will be discussed and the guidelines included in the standard.

  Panos Skandamis, Agricultural University of Athens

  User-friendly, freely available computer tool to predict microbial growth

  A demonstration of an accessible computer tool designed to help food safety professionals predict microbial growth under various conditions, with practical examples of the tool application and machine learning approaches in microbial growth prediction for product development and shelf-life determination.

  Presenters

  • Heidy den Besten, Presenter Wageningen University
  • Mariem Ellouze, Presenter Ferrero
  • Panos Skandamis, Presenter Agricultural University of Athens
  • Abdullatif Tay, Moderator Pepsico
• Bringing Food Safety Indoors: Food safety insights for indoor, vertical and modern greenhouse farming. May 27, 2025 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Eastern Time)

  Cultivating plants within a contained environment, and thereby protected from the elements, has a long history. Previously, indoor farming meant using greenhouses to increase productivity along with extending growing seasons. The advent of enabling technologies such as LED lighting, energy management, robotics and environmental control systems, has enabled indoor farming to become economically viable for staple crop production. This has led to an increase in indoor farming facilities across the globe to enhance food production through a local supply that is more protected against extreme weather events compared to conventional farming, thereby enhancing food security. There is also the perception that indoor farmed crops are protected from contamination from pathogens (e.g., Salmonella, toxigenic Escherichia coli) and chemical hazards, such as excessive pesticide residues, by virtue of being within a contained environment. However, there have been several outbreaks and recalls associated with indoor farmed crops. Consequently, there is a need for a greater understanding of the sources of contamination and what risk management options are available to growers. To address this need, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been developing a publication on the food safety insights for various types of indoor farming systems. The first part of the presentation will provide an overview of the FAO mission and how the publication has been prepared. The second part of the presentation will describe the different elements and systems encompassed under the indoor farming umbrella. The sources of contamination via the different inputs within farming operations will be described along with the fate of pathogens (STEC, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes) when introduced on seed, growth substrate and irrigation water. Interventions to reduce contamination while maintaining plant growth performance and quality will be outlined. The presentation will be of interest to competent authorities, researchers, producers, technology providers, inspectors and educators.

  Learning Objectives:

  Learning objectives
  •To understand the key elements and systems within indoor farming operations.
  •Be able to identify specific food safety risks associated with indoor farming vs conventional outdoor farming.
  •Be aware of risk management options for indoor farming to control chemical and biological hazards
  •To identify and discuss future research needs

  Presenters

  • Dr. Masami Takeuchi, Presenter FAO, Rome
  • Dr. Keith Warriner, Presenter University of Guelph
  • Dr. Jeffrey Farber, Moderator JM Farber Global Food Safety; University of Guelph
• Sanitation Break: Legal Interpretation and Industry Practices Jun 3, 2025 (11:00 AM- 12:00 PM Eastern Time)

  The session will focus on the design and implementation of clean breaks (validation, verification, and trend analysis), the importance of clean breaks for protecting your manufacturing from a risk exposure and liability perspective, and related practical considerations when relying on clean breaks to bracket implicated product, including in recall or other market action situations. Additionally, the discussion will include considerations often addressed by FDA during enforcement situations related to sanitation break justifications. From the sanitation perspective, the session will also discuss alternative ways to conduct sanitation activities during the sanitation break. The goal is to achieve cleaning objectives effectively while reducing the burden of the process.

  Learning Objective

  1. Understand the FDA regulatory framework relating to establishing and defining a sanitation break, including guidance and industry practices

  2. Discuss related practical considerations when relying on clean breaks to bracket implicated product

  3. Explore alternative ways to conduct sanitation break and sampling plan.

  Presenters

  • Maile Gradison, Panelist Hogan Lovells
  • Yue Zheng, Panelist Commercial Food Sanitation
  • Jeff Kornacki, Panelist Kornacki Microbiology Solutions, Inc.
  • Cari Rasmussen, Moderator Commercial Food Sanitation
• Risk-Based Approaches to Sanitation in Dry Processing Environments Jun 3, 2025 (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Eastern Time)

  This webinar addresses technical considerations for the effective use of physical dry-cleaning methods. Dry-cleaning provides an important alternative to wet sanitation in low moisture food production environments. However, there is uncertainty about the efficacy of these methods to remove pathogens and allergenic residues from equipment surfaces. Moreover, the procedures used in implementation of these dry-cleaning methods are highly variable across the industry. The goal of this session is to discuss (1) application and verification and (2) best-practices for implementing physical dry-cleaning methods. This includes:

  • Industrial research on dry cleaning and new applications

  • Hygienic breaks for low moisture food production

  • Allergen clean vs biological clean

  • In-plant verification and validation of dry cleaning and sanitation.

  Through this webinar, participants will:

  1. Understand the principles, benefits, and limitations of dry physical cleaning.

  2. Learn about research to optimize dry cleaning strategies.

  3. Explore strategies to monitor and verify dry sanitation activities in production.

  Presenters

  • Abby Snyder, Panelist Cornell University
  • Karl Thorson, Panelist General Mills
  • Nathan Mirdamadi, Panelist Kerry
  • Jennifer Acuff, Panelist University of Arkansas
  • Wendy White, Moderator Georgia Tech
• Hygienic Design & Monitoring Strategies to Prevent In-Process Contamination in Food and Beverage Applications Jun 5, 2025 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Eastern Time)

  Ensuring effective hygienic design and robust monitoring practices is critical for preventing in-process contamination in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. This webinar explores practical strategies to reduce microbial risk through equipment design and simplified monitoring protocols. Attendees will gain insights into best practices for routine process assessment, early detection of biofilms, and training best practices. Whether you’re new to sanitary design and monitoring strategies or looking to enhance your current protocols, this session will provide actionable steps to take to support your product safety and regulatory compliance.

  Learning Objectives:

  •Principles of hygienic design to minimize contamination harborage points

  •Simplified, real-world monitoring practices for busy production environments

  •Early warning signs and detection methods for biofilm formation

  •Integrating hygienic design and monitoring into proactive contamination control plans

  Presenters

  • Bob Ferguson, Presenter Strategic Consulting
  • Chris Paradise, Moderator QualiTru