Food Safety & Consumer Services
Federal,
state, university and food industry members are gathering to discuss safe food
processing and safe on-farm produce operations next month in Portland at the
annual Pacific Northwest Food
Safety and Sanitation Workshop Nov. 8-9.
Several employees
from WSDA’s Food Safety and Consumer Services Division will be joining the
conference as part of the agency’s on-going efforts at promoting food safety.
Among the WSDA officials attending will be Claudia Coles, the division’s policy
and external affairs manager. Claudia is a well-established training specialist
and will share her insights on the federal Food Safety Modernization Act
(FSMA). Claudia will also discuss ways to support effective food safety and
sanitation processes to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses.
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| Milk bottle line |
Miriam Burbach
of the Food and Drug Administration’s Seattle District Office, will discuss
implementation of the new FSMA rules.
The conference typically draws people in the food processing and food safety industries, such as food and animal feed processors, service providers to the food industries, food retailers, sanitation suppliers, consultants and regulators.
The FDA, Northwest university extensions,
WSDA, Oregon Department of
Agriculture and the Northwest Food
Processors Association work together to put on this annual event.
Agenda items for the
conference include:
- The basics of microbiology with a focus on Listeria monocytogenes
- Choosing effective sanitizers and hand hygiene practices
- Pest Control
- Implementation of FSMA
- Whole Genome Sequencing
- Good Manufacturing Practices
- Irrigation Water testing
WSDA will host
an informational booth where attendees will be able to find information on
multiple food safety topics. If you can’t make it to the conference, but are
still seeking food safety information, or updates on courses
and workshops, visit the Washington
State Food Protection Task Force website.