UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Several foodborne illness outbreaks occurred last year among small and medium dairy processors, including a few cheesemakers in Pennsylvania. These incidents have highlighted the need for processors to build skills in preparing for and responding to a food safety crisis, according to experts at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension.
To address emergency preparedness, the Penn State Extension dairy food processing team will offer three events as part of a collaborative statewide effort to support the dairy industry. These trainings align with the recommendation to support a comprehensive approach to emergency preparedness, as outlined by the Pennsylvania Dairy Future Commission, which was established by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to address the challenges facing the state’s dairy industry.
Dairy Industry Crisis Readiness Drill Training — May 11-12
The extension value-added dairy foods team will host a two-day event, titled, “Dairy Industry Crisis Readiness Drill Training,” May 11-12 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College. The workshop is held in partnership with the American Dairy Association North East and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Participants will practice their crisis preparedness skills through a hands-on exercise that features a fictional food safety crisis caused by a chemical contaminant in fluid milk.
“Everyone will play a role in solving the crisis,” said Kerry Kaylegian, associate research professor in Penn State’s Department of Food Science. “It’s a valuable lesson for anyone in the industry, including those in dairy processing and supply, field inspectors, lab employees, marketers, milk haulers and farmers.”
In addition to the interactive crisis response exercise, the event will include lectures and opportunities to build new relationships with other industry representatives. Attendees can identify areas for improvement in crisis plans, learn new skills and leave with action steps to advance crisis preparedness. Workshops will cover media interviews, social media and crisis leadership.
2023 Pennsylvania Association for Food Protection Conference — May 10-11
The dairy crisis drill will occur in conjunction with the 2023 Pennsylvania Association for Food Protection Conference, May 10-11 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Designed for sanitarians, lab managers, plant managers, food transportation employees, small processors and regulatory personnel, this event will cover a range of pertinent topics for those involved in ensuring the safety of food products from farm to table. Participants can choose to attend either the full conference or just the post-conference crisis drill.
The agenda, travel information and online registration are available on the Dairy Industry Crisis Readiness Drill Training website.
Penn State Extension webinars offered April 11 and May 9
In addition, two upcoming Penn State Extension webinars will focus on supporting small and medium dairy foods processors and value-added dairy entrepreneurs. Though attendees must register (see links below), these webinars are free to attend and will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Registrants also will receive access to the webinar recordings.
- During the April 11 webinar, experts will discuss environmental monitoring in dairy processing facilities and best practices for sanitation, cleaning and biological hazards.
- The May 9 webinar will cover tools to effectively communicate and respond to a food safety crisis.
The Penn State Extension website provides many resources for dairy food processing in relation to food safety and sanitation. These resources include guides on creating and implementing food safety plans, as well as instructions on how to write sanitation standard-operating procedures.