Food Hygiene and Sanitation Professional Development Group
Mission Statement: To provide information on the developments in hygiene and sanitation in the food industry
Meeting Information
Virtual: TBD
In Person: IAFP 2025
July 27, 2025, Huntington Convention Center, Cleveland, Ohio
How to Join
Involvement in committees and professional development groups (PDGs) offers Members the opportunity to share a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Members of committees and PDGs are the architects of the Association structure. They plan, develop and institute many of the Association's projects, including workshops, publications and educational sessions. Technical challenges facing the food safety industry are discussed, examined and debated. Members may volunteer to serve on any number of committees or PDGs that plan and implement activities to meet the Association's mission.
Membership on a PDG is voluntary (not by appointment) and may vary from year to year.
IAFP Members can manage their PDG involvement by logging in to the IAFP Web site. At the Member Dashboard, click “Edit Profile.” Your profile has two tabs: Contact Info and Professional Info. Select the Professional Info tab and update the PDGs you would like to participate in. We highly recommend that you contact the PDG chairperson for each group to let them know you have joined their PDG.
Non-members can contact Dina Siedenburg, dsiedenburg@foodprotection.org, for more information.
Minutes
Board Responses
- 1. None.
- None.
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Recommend a later time for our annual PDG meeting.
Board Response: This will be taken into consideration when scheduling PDG meetings at IAFP 2023.
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Consider subsidizing the cost for attending a workshop to increase attendance. The current costs are prohibitive for some members.
Board Response: Board response: Registration fees for workshops are priced competitively when compared to other similar workshops. There may be an IAFP Foundation program to provide a reduced registration fee to those members in need of such support.
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1. Recommend approval of Nathan Mirdamadi as Vice Chair of the Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG.
Board Response: Agree.
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Recommend the Board consider web meetings in the future alternate with live meetings so people can attend PDGs that are conflicting (i.e., same time), this will also avoid overlapping meetings.
Board Response: Agree. Both options are available; in-person meetings or virtual meetings. PDGs may hold their meetings virtually if they desire. Time will be made available at the meeting for each PDG and PDGs may opt to not hold an in-person meeting.
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Recommendation to Board for Nathan Mirdamadi to move into the Secretary position as Evan Rosen is now Vice Chair.
Board Response: Agree.
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Is it possible to have our PDG meeting at a later time rather than 8 a.m.?
Board Response: Agree. The Committee and PDG schedule will be revised for IAFP 2020.
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Many PDGs that are of general interest are
running simultaneously, for example: Sanitation/
Hygiene, HACCP, and FS Assessment PDG, were all held at 8 a.m. today. This creates challenges with attendance. To reduce conflicts when scheduling, can we look at the PDG rosters and see which PDGS have similar members based on involvement and not have those at the same time?
Board Response: Agree. Please let IAFP staff know of specific PDGs to avoid scheduling at the same time as the Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG meeting.
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Approve Evan Rosen as Secretary to the PDG.
Board Response: Agree.
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Webinars to also be available for scheduling outside of normal
business hours to reach targeted audiences in cleaning
and sanitation.
Board Response: Agree. Alternative scheduling can be accommodated with ample notice provided.
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Suggestions that PDG meetings be Saturday and Sunday
so all PDG’s meetings are not crunched into Sunday.
Board Response: Agree. This can be arranged when PDGs request a Saturday meeting.
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Making symposia searchable on the app by PDG for 2018.
Board Response: Agree, staff will look into making the necessary changes.
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Post the agenda for each PDG meeting on the app so that participants can plan their attendance agenda.
Board Response: Agree, this was done in 2017 for PDGs who provided their agenda to staff for posting.
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Recommendation to Board to switch roles of Nadia Narine (Secretary) to replace Ken Davenport as Vice Chair (Ken has a conflict as Chair of the Packaging PDG).
Board Response: Agree.
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Open the registration booths at 7:30 am on Sunday.
Board Response: Agree.
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Consider an ongoing advanced sanitation and equipment design workshop.
Board Response: A proposal with workshop details including organizers, speakers, length and possible location(s) should be submitted for review and consideration.
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Due to current Vice Chair Zhinong Yan stepping down from his position, we recommend Vanessa Cranford be approved to complete his term up to IAFP 2017. We also recommend approval of Ken Davenport as Vice Chair-elect and Nadia Narine as Secretary for the same time period. Beginning at IAFP 2017, we recommend the Board approve Vanessa Cranford to serve as Chair, Ken Davenport at Vice Chair and Nadia Narine as Vice Chair-elect.
Board Response: Agree
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Continuous Improvement Idea:
Background: Manually collecting and transcribing the old and new members present at the meeting is time consuming and prone to errors. Proposal to use a bar code reader app to scan in PDG attendee information. CHARM volunteered to purchase the $300.00 app for our PDG.
Board Response: IAFP staff will investigate using scanners or an app to scan name badges of those participating in the PDG meetings.
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Approve Ken Davenport as Vice Chair and Vanessa Cranford as Vice Chair-Elect.
Board Response: Agree.
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Develop a new PDG for Food Safety Inspectors and Auditors.
Board Response: Members may form a PDG by requesting to the Board to hold an organizational meeting. Once it is shown that there is enough interest, the PDG can be approved.
Resources
Webinars
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Dry Cleaning: Is Water Friend or Foe in Food Safety and Sanitation? Jun 14, 2023
Organized by: The Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG
We tend to think of water as our friend when it comes to cleaning, it's fast, easy, and effective, but its presence can encourage microbial growth and increase the spread of contamination.
Dry sanitation in the food industry is usually only considered in relation to those food plants that undertake dry/low (aw) food and ingredient processing. But dry/limited water sanitation can be a valuable option in the control of microbial hazards, and improve food safety for any processing plant.
In this webinar, Vikan’s Global Hygiene Specialist, Debra Smith, and Karl Thorson, Food Safety and Sanitation Manager at General Mills, will guide you in the maintenance of food safety and quality through the use of dry/limited water sanitation.Learning Objectives:
Uncontrolled water: Learn how to
• Prevent it
Design it out – facilities & equipment; systems - zoning
Make it easy to clean – hygienic/sanitary design
• Find it
Drips, leaks, condensation, pooling, steam, frost, uncontrolled wet cleaning
• Fix it
Eliminate drips, leaks, etc.
Rationalize your cleaning
Choose sanitation methods that maximize contamination removal & minimize its spreadPresenters- Debra Smith, Presenter Global Hygiene Specialist at Vikan
- Karl Thorson, Presenter Food Safety and Sanitation Manager at General Mills
- Nathan Mirdamadi, Moderator Sr. Food Safety Specialist at Commercial Food Sanitation L.L.C.
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Chemistry and Tools: Designing Your Grocery and Food Service Sanitation Program Apr 6, 2022
Environmental sanitation is a pillar of food safety. Failures in this area can lead to outbreaks, recalls, quality issues, and associated loss of business and reputation. Most workshops and webinars on this topic are aimed at food manufacturing. However, there are thousands of other food operators, such as grocery stores and restaurants, which do not fit the manufacturer's sanitation mold. Often times the chemicals, tools, and application methods used are different. The aim of this webinar is to get back to basics by focusing on sanitation as it pertains to grocery and foodservice environments.
Explore environmental sanitation at the grocery and foodservice level
- Understand how different cleaning chemicals impact cleaning performance
- Understand how cleaning tools impact sanitation efforts and food safety
- Understand how the integrated use of cleaning chemicals and tools can optimize your sanitation program
- Review best practices for integrated sanitation in grocery and foodservice operationsPresenters- David Buckley, Presenter Diversey, Inc.
- Deb Smith, Presenter Vikan
- Christopher Jordan, Moderator Diversey, Inc.
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Cleaning Validation of Cleaning Tools Jun 10, 2020
The sanitary state of cleaning tools (when compared with that of food equipment or environmental surfaces) is often overlooked as a potential vector of product contamination. This may be because validation of sanitation preventive controls is still not a mandatory requirement in FSMA regulations, and that validation, monitoring and verification of cleaning tools seldom features in site sanitation programs. According to a UK Government funded study (Campden BRI), 47% of the cleaning equipment sampled in food production in facilities tested positive for L. monocytogenes. Moreover, cleaning tools and equipment of poor hygienic design may also harbor other pathogens, including viruses, and allergens and foreign material of food safety concern. This presentation focuses on the appropriate selection of hygienically designed cleaning tools, and the development of validated cleaning tool decontamination methods, and effective monitoring and verification programs.
Presenters- Jason White, Moderator National Frozen Foods, OR, USA
- Amit Kheradia Remco Products, IN, USA
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Cleaning, Sanitizing and the Seven Steps of Sanitation Webinar - SPANISH VERSION Jan 9, 2018
Este webinar gratuito de una hora es patrocinado por Ecolab. Los participantes DEBEN registrarse con anticipación. El saneamiento efectivo es fundamental para garantizar la inocuidad de los alimentos, sin embargo, los fundamentos a menudo no son bien comprendidos por los equipos encargados del trabajo y, por lo tanto, la ejecución de los aspectos básicos puede ser un desafío. Empoderar a las brigadas de saneamiento con el conocimiento aplicado necesario para limpiar y desinfectar la planta para que comience la producción es un objetivo clave de la gestión comprometida. El objetivo de este seminario web, con una audiencia específica de equipos de saneamiento en toda la industria, es revisar los conceptos básicos con un enfoque en la diferencia entre la limpieza y la desinfección y los siete pasos del saneamiento húmedo.
This free one-hour webinar is sponsored by Ecolab. Participants MUST register in advance. Effective sanitation is foundational to ensuring food safety, yet the fundamentals are often not well understood by the teams tasked with the job and therefore executing the basics can be a challenge. Empowering sanitation crews with the applied knowledge needed to clean and sanitize the plant for production to commence is a key goal of engaged management. The aim of this webinar, with a targeted audience of sanitation teams across the industry, is to review the basics with a focus on the difference between cleaning and sanitizing and the seven steps of wet sanitation. This Webinar presentation will be given in Spanish.
Presenters- Frank De La Guardia Venzal, Presenter Ecolab
- Andrea Ray, Moderator Purdue University
- View
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Cleaning, Sanitizing and the Seven Steps of Sanitation Webinar Dec 7, 2017
This free one-hour webinar is sponsored by Ecolab. Participants MUST register in advance.
Effective sanitation is foundational to ensuring food safety, yet the fundamentals are often not well understood by the teams tasked with the job and therefore executing the basics can be a challenge. Empowering sanitation crews with the applied knowledge needed to clean and sanitize the plant for production to commence is a key goal of engaged management. The aim of this webinar, with a targeted audience of sanitation teams across the industry, is to review the basics with a focus on the difference between cleaning and sanitizing and the seven steps of wet sanitation.
Presenters- Scott Burnett, Presenter Ecolab, Inc.
- Vanessa Cranford, Moderator U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- View
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The Hygienic Design of Food Industry Cleaning Brushes Jun 29, 2017
This Webinar will present the finding of an investigation into the hygienic design of food industry cleaning brushware and the development of a new hygienically designed brushware option. (short description)
Many food manufacturers appreciate the benefits of hygienically designed production equipment as it is quicker and easier to clean, and minimises the risk of product cross-contamination. However, when it comes to food industry cleaning equipment, very few are developed with good hygienic design in mind. Both the FSSC 22000 and BRC issue 7 Global food safety standards state that cleaning equipment should be 'hygienically designed', but what determines whether a piece of cleaning equipment meets this requirement? and what can be done to ensure that hygienic design is incorporated into cleaning equipment in the future? This Webinar will present the finding of an investigation into the hygienic design of food industry cleaning brushware and the development of a new hygienically designed brushware option.Presenters- Debra Smith Global Hygiene Specialist at Vikan
- View
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Environmental Monitoring "Best Practices" Jun 8, 2017
Environmental Monitoring is more than just sampling and reporting results. Its responsibility is to move the establishment along a journey from the “Awareness Stage” to the “Predictive Stage.” Food Safety Management must create and cultivate a company culture that promotes preventative action. The continuous improvement pathway is marked with proven best practices.
Presenters- Dr. John Butts President of Food Safety By Design, LLC and Advirsor to CEO at Land O'Frost
- View
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Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG presents: China's Food Safety System In the Year Of The Rooster May 25, 2017
Dozens of Chinese food laws and regulations have been revised or newly adopted, and hundreds of mandatory national food safety standards have been amended and updated. (short description)
2016 may have been the Year of the Monkey, but the Chinese authorities were not monkeying around with the food industry, as they continued to reshape and tighten the regulatory reins on China's food safety management system. As a result, dozens of food laws and regulations have been revised or newly adopted, and hundreds of mandatory national food safety standards have been amended and updated. This presentation will describe highlights of these. (extended description)Presenters- Dr. Zhinong Yan Food Safety Director for Ecolab AsiaPacific
- View
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Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG presents: Effective Swabbing for ATP & AMP For Better Hygiene Apr 28, 2017
Quantifying Sanitation: The sensitivity of ATP+AMP detection , and its relation with patents to calculate RLU as reference for level of hygiene ( DIN 10124:2009-12), with comparisons to ATP only detection and other protein detection systems.
Presenters- Atef W. Idriss MEFOSA
- Youmna Iskandarani MEFOSA
- View
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The Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG presents BIOFILM & FOOD SAFETY Mar 23, 2017
This presentation will discuss the nature of biofilm formation in general and the effects that growth in a biofilm can have on bacterial cells and their resistance to inactivation using traditional sanitation treatments.
Biofilm formation in food processing facilities enhances the ability of pathogens to survive harsh environments, to resist antimicrobial treatments, and to spread and persist in the food processing environment. Thus, the formation of biofilms is a food safety concern since persistent low-level contamination of foods can occur, and is reported to be one of the main factors in failure of sanitation treatments to remove or inactivate human pathogens on produce surfaces.
Presenters- Dr. Bassam Annous United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research ServiceEastern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-ERRC)
- View
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Clean in Place- Addressing Key Principals of Design/Operation and Dispelling the Myths of CIP Jan 6, 2017
This webinar discussed key principles - Many of which are often overlooked such as sanitary design- components that are not CIPable and effective inspection technique.
Presenters- Evan Rosen, V.P. Food Safety and Quality Assurance PacMoore
- View
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Cleaning and Sanitation Validation: What Does Clean Look Like? Sep 7, 2011
There are many different standards of clean and what is "clean" for one food operation may not be "clean" for another. This webinar presented empirical ways to measure the cleanliness of surfaces. Tests that can be used to evaluate soil and microbial levels on surfaces will be discussed. The strengths and weaknesses of the various tools available to evaluate the effectiveness of cleaning and sanitation programs will be presented. An adequately designed sampling program is as important as the methods used to test the surfaces, therefore this webinar will discussed the elements of a sound sampling program.
Organized by the Food Hygiene & Sanitation PDG.
Due to technical issues during the presentation, this webinar was not recorded. However, the presenter provided the slide presentation for those who are interested. Click below to view the slides.
Presenters- Dr. P.C. Vasavada Professor of Food Science, University of Wisconsin River Falls
- Download
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Challenges and Improvement Opportunities in the Cleaning and Sanitation of Equipment in Dry Food Processing Environments Jun 2, 2010
This webinar addresses conditions that favor microbial growth and dispersion in the processing environment with emphasis on sites of contamination associated with food processing equipment. Approaches to elimination of those conditions are described as well as approaches that have been or could be considered to eliminate or otherwise control microbes isolated from such sites.
Organized by the Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG.
Presenters- Jeff Kornacki, Ph.D Kornacki Microbiology Solutions, Inc
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Challenges with Wet Cleaning May 5, 2010
This presentation focuses on wet sanitation of equipment requiring disassembly. The Webinar is an overview of the process. Key points cover the critical factors of Sanitation Process Control. Principles of Sanitary Equipment Design as well as Sanitary Facility Design are covered. Investigative techniques such as the "Seek and Destroy Process," "Timed Studies" and "Swat Team" sampling are covered.
Organized by the Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG.
Presenters- Dr. John Butts VP of Research Land O'Frost
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Sanitation - Back to Basics Apr 7, 2010
It is well established that sanitation is the most critical part of any food safety program. Indeed, a significant proportion of high profile foodborne illness outbreaks can be linked to failures in sanitation. In this presentation the history of sanitation and evolution of regulations will be covered. An overview on how to develop a sanitation plan and approaches to verify the efficacy of sanitation is discussed. The range of sanitizing methods (physical, chemical and biological) available is described and how to select the most appropriate approach for specific applications outlined. Finally, future trends in plant sanitation and hand washing technologies are provided.
Organized by the Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG.
Presenters- Dr Keith Warriner Assoc Prof. Dept of Food Science University of Guelph
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