Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Announces Food Safety Workshops

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has announced its 2026 schedule of in-person food safety workshops designed to strengthen dairy manufacturing practices, advance regulatory compliance and protect consumers from foodborne risks.

Through hands-on, industry-led training programs, the checkoff-founded Innovation Center provides a pre-competitive forum for dairy processors, suppliers and allied partners to collaborate on improving food safety performance across the value chain. Since launching its Food Safety Committee in 2010, the Innovation Center has trained more than 5,500 professionals through 125 workshops focused on dairy plant food safety, artisan and farmstead cheesemaking and supplier food safety management.

“These workshops reflect the dairy industry’s long-standing commitment to continuous improvement in food safety,” said Chad Galer, vice president of food safety at Dairy Management Inc. “By bringing together experts and peers, we help companies strengthen their programs, reduce risk and reinforce consumer confidence in dairy.”

The Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop provides practical, hands-on training to help participants enhance their food safety programs and strengthen preventive controls aligned with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The two-day workshop combines short lectures, small-group exercises and real-world case studies covering environmental monitoring, sanitary design, sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs), allergen control and foreign material prevention.

The curriculum is grounded in “The Pathogen Equation,” a science-based framework that emphasizes the systematic control of pathogens in dairy operations. Workshops are taught by industry professionals and encourage collaboration and peer learning, offering participants a rare opportunity to exchange best practices with colleagues across the industry.

All workshops cover wet and dry product operations, and the registration fee is $595 per participant.

Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop Schedule:

• March 31-April 1 – Greeley, Colo. (Hosts: Leprino Foods and Hilmar Cheese)
• June 30-July 1 – Madison, Wis. (Hosts: Sargento Foods, Foremost Farms and the Center for Dairy Research)
• Sept. 22-23 – Arden Hills, Minn. (Host: Land O’Lakes)
• Aug. 26-27 – Pasco, Wash. (Hosts: Darigold and Tillamook Cheese)

Registration is available at www.usdairy.com/events-webinars.

Supplier Food Safety Management Workshop:

The Supplier Food Safety Management Workshop is designed for dairy companies and their supply partners seeking to strengthen food safety performance across their supply networks. The program provides a science-based framework to identify, assess and mitigate risks associated with ingredients, packaging, equipment and services.

Participants learn how to build or enhance supply-chain programs aligned with FSMA requirements, including hazard identification, preventive control verification and supplier performance evaluation.

A workshop date and location will be announced soon.

Pathogen Control Guidance 2.0:

The Innovation Center offers Pathogen Control Guidance 2.0, a comprehensive, downloadable resource developed by leading dairy food safety experts. The recently updated guide includes expanded best practices for wet and dry processing environments, hygienic separation and brine system management. It also aligns with “The Pathogen Equation,” reinforcing the principles taught in the Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshops.

The guide is available at www.usdairy.com/foodsafety

For additional food safety resources or registration information, visit www.usdairy.com/foodsafety or contact Galer at Chad.Galer@Dairy.org.

For information about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, visit www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center

About the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

Founded by dairy farmers in 2008 through their checkoff, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a unique national forum that brings together leaders from across the entire dairy value chain – farmers, cooperatives, processors, customers, and allied industry – to address precompetitive priorities and strengthen trust in the dairy sector. Guided by the voices and perspectives of farm and industry leaders, the Innovation Center builds alignment, sets shared priorities, and accelerates best practices on the most important topics impacting food and agriculture today, from modern wellness and environmental stewardship to food safety, nutrition, and innovation. For more information, visit usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center.