Food Safety

Virtual Office Hours

Low-Moisture Food Series

 

There is a lot of food safety educational content out there, but very little that addresses the unique needs of the low moisture food industry. Low moisture foods like dairy powders, spices, chocolate, nuts, snack foods, and baked goods present distinct food safety challenges that aren't always addressed by conventional food safety information. This webinar series is designed to focus on those nuances and support the industry in advancing more targeted, risk-based strategies for managing food safety in dry environments.

Please register for each session individually by clicking on the links after each description.

 

Recording: June 3, 12-1 pm: Risk-Based Approaches to Sanitation in Dry Processing Environments  

Speakers: Abby Snyder, Karl Thorson, Nathan Mirdamadi, and Jennifer Acuff

 

Description: This webinar was hosted by the International Association of Food Protection, and the recording is available for free until June 31, 2025. It addressed 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 the implementation of these dry-cleaning methods are highly variable across the industry. This session discussed (1) application and verification and (2) best practices for implementing physical dry-cleaning methods.

 

Recording access is free during the month of June 2025:

https://www.foodprotection.org/resources/webinar-archive/

June 24, 12-1 pm: Supply Chain Food Safety Through Disruption  

Speakers: Martin Wiedmann, Aaron Adalja, Mark Nisbet, and Hazel Tatosian

Description: Join us for our June 24 session of Food Safety Virtual Office Hours, where Assistant Professor Aaron Adalja will provide an overview of recent changes to food manufacturing supply chains. This will be followed by a brief discussion from Professor Martin Wiedmann on the impacts of supply chain disruptions on food safety. Following the presentation, the presenters will join a panel of industry experts, including Mark Nisbet and Hazel Tatosian, for a moderated Q&A and further discussion. 

 

Registration required:

https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/B8srfV-8SD2k-yzaX_jLPw

 

July 1, 12-1 pm: Process Validation in Low Moisture Foods - Reducing the Risk of Failure

Speakers: Kaitlyn Casulli, Brian Farina, Wendy White

Description: Join us for our July 1 session of Food Safety Virtual Office Hours, where Wendy White will give an overview of process validation in low moisture food systems. Brian Farina will provide a description of validation studies in low moisture foods. Kaitlyn Casulli will discuss her insights from validation studies and implementation of process controls based on the results of validation. Following the presentation, the presenters will join a panel of experts for a moderated Q&A and further discussion.

Registration required: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/8dfRlSIRT8GPDUONIuiOMw

 

 

July 15, 12-1 pm: Allergen Control Programs: Transitioning to Risk-Based Management Systems

Speakers: Joe Baumert, Ben Remington

Description: Join us for our July 15 session of Food Safety Virtual Office Hours, where Professor Joe Baumert will provide an overview of risk-based approaches to allergen management. Dr. Ben Remington will then discuss recent updates to FDA and WHO guidance on allergen management that has taken a risk-based framework. Following the presentation, the presenters will join a panel of experts for a moderated Q&A and further discussion.

Registration required: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/pFiBdVdBTvKNcv1H-1RmQQ

 

July 23, 12-1 pm: Product testing methods and schemes for low moisture foods – limitations and opportunities

Speakers: Martin Wiedmann, Matt Stasiewicz, Pam Wilger, Catharine Carlin

Description: Join us for our July 23 session of Food Safety Virtual Office Hours, where Professor Martin Wiedmann will provide an overview of product testing as a food safety verification strategy. Pam Wilger will discuss common pitfalls pertaining to matrix effects and method selection, and Associate Professor Matt Stasiewicz will discuss how to design a sampling scheme. Following the presentation, the presenters will join a panel of experts, including Catharine Carlin, for a moderated Q&A and further discussion.

Registration required: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vhiN3o4rQqmnv4EO_AD4-g

 

Food Safety Virtual Office Hours are hosted in collaboration with the GA Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute,  New York Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence, and the IFS@CU.

 

Intended audience: Open to anyone in the food industry from farm to fork.

 

Cost: Free

 

After registering for each session, you will receive a confirmation email with information to join the session.

 

For upcoming sessions of Food Industry Virtual Office Hours, please visit the IFS@CU’s website. You can also join the IFS@CU mailing list for notifications of upcoming events.