Certification News
The 2017 Exam Fees Due 6/1
The application period for the
ACS CCP® Exam
this summer in Denver is closed, and exam fees are due for those individuals who have been accepted to take the exam. If you haven't paid your exam fees yet, all payments are due by June 1! Contact Jane Bauer with any questions.
Re-certification for 2014 CCPs
Applications for re-certification for CCPs from the 2014 class will open in conjunction with the 2017 ACS Conference in Denver this summer. Be sure to re-certify by October 31, 2017!
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Register for ACS 2017,
Cheese with Altitude
Regular Registration Open Through June 28
Regular registration for the
34th Annual ACS Conference in Denver, CO this summer is open through June 28! We hope you'll join us for several days of unparalleled education and networking: July 26-29, 2017.
Registration rates:
- Regular: $599
- Late/On-Site: $699
Interested in sponsoring Cheese with Altitude? Opportunities to showcase your brand, your products, and your services are still available. Contact Rebecca Orozco to learn more.
Cheese with Altitude is presented with Marquee Sponsor:
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Pre-Order Conference T-Shirts for Your Team!
ACS is taking pre-orders on our official Conference tees for those members wishing to purchase quantities of 10 or more.
Simply email us with the style, quantity, and sizes you would like, and a member of our team will follow-up to confirm your order and coordinate payment.
2017 Logo Tee ($22)
Available in Mens and Ladies.
Color: Maritime Frost (blue)
Cheese Pride
Tee ($25)
Unisex style: see sizing info.
Color: Heathered Charcoal
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Join the Mile High Cheese Crew - Volunteer with ACS in Denver!
We're seeking skilled volunteers to help make the 2017 ACS Conference & Competition in Denver a great success.
 All volunteers receive an official volunteer t-shirt, a ticket to the Festival of Cheese, and meals whenever a shift coincides with a scheduled Conference meal. Volunteers assisting with the ACS Judging & Competition in an 8+ hour shift will also receive a ticket to the Awards Ceremony.
Sign up and find the volunteer shift that's right for you!
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Reserve Your Table for Meet the Cheesemaker
Sample your cheeses and cultured dairy products to hundreds of buyers, retailers, and other industry members in Denver this summer!
- Thursday, July 27, 2017
- 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
- Fee: $199 through 6/24; $239 from 6/25 - 7/2
Meet the Cheesemaker is sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board.
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Today is the Last Day to Apply for the DZTA Scholarship!
Today is the last day to apply for the Daphne Zepos Teaching Award! If you -- or your business -- are an ACS member, and you've worked in food for three years, you're eligible to win this amazing $5,000 award. Download your application packet at
dzta.org.
All applications are due by May 31.
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Southwest Airlines Offers Discount Fares to ACS Members
"Cheese with Altitude" Conference attendees can receive a discount and bonus Rapid Reward points from Southwest Airlines through their SWABIZ® account. Southwest Airlines is offering a 10% discount off Anytime & Business Select® fares and a 3% discount off select Wanna Get Away® fares for travel to and from the 2017 ACS Conference!
Book your travel between May 1 and July 6 to take advantage of the discounted rates. (Discounts are available for travel from July 20, 2017 through July 31, 2017.)
Click here to take advantage of the discounted rates!
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I was part of the group that recently met with the FDA in College Park, MD on behalf of ACS. This was my third visit to the Wiley Building, and our meetings once again went well and continue to produce positive gains. While waiting for our security escort, several of us took time to peruse the historical material on display in the lobby.
The building's namesake, Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, also lent his name to the 1906 Pure Food & Drug Act. What intrigued me was the historical context surrounding the passage of this Act. Per the wall display, the Act was violently opposed by "patent medicine and whiskey makers" who feared that it would adversely impact their trade. However, public sentiment stirred up by the media led to the Act becoming law in 1906.
Similarly, in response to public outrage over food processing conditions exposed in the media, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 established today's FDA. What struck me was that a failure of integrity by a few manufacturers led the public to ask for more regulation on ALL manufacturers. And increased regulation (of course) increases everybody's costs. It's clear to me that as an industry we must commit every day to the highest standards of food safety and integrity. The future of our industry (and our livelihoods) is at stake.
All my best,
Jeff Jirik
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Fighting an Uphill Battle
ACS called attention to similarly misleading language conflating fluid raw milk and raw milk cheese in 2012, when we responded to a CDC Study on Nonpasteurized Dairy Products, Disease Outbreaks, and State Laws. It is an ongoing and uphill battle to untangle these disparate products which harbor disparate risks. The author of the STAT article, Ms. Branswell, evidenced her bias in her inadvertent response to ACS's letter. Intending to email her editor, she instead emailed me. Her comment to her editor? "Pat, never, ever, ever let an editor leave the comment section open on an unpasteurized milk and/or cheese story." There is certainly nothing objective or scientific about efforts to quell opposing opinions from being heard. This also belies journalistic integrity, as the author's response was immediate, prior to her even reading the content of my letter.
The authors of the study itself, however, did respond. While they did not address all of our points, they did acknowledge our concerns, and shared why and how they compiled the data as they did.
Nora Weiser
Executive Director
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2017 ACS Board of Directors Ballot
The ACS Board of Directors is an active and dynamic group of people, all deeply committed to the vision of the organization: to be the leader in supporting and promoting American cheeses.
The 2017 ACS Board of Directors Ballot is now open! If you are a voting member of ACS*, you should have received an emailed ballot asking you to vote for two new board members who will serve from August 2017 to August 2020.
Learn more about this year's candidates below. If you haven't voted, please be sure to check your inbox for the ballot, and vote today! Voting is open through June 28.
Board candidates:
*Note: Each level of professional membership (Corporate, Small Business, Individual) is entitled to one vote for each open position. If you are a voting member and you haven't received the ballot, be sure to check your "Clutter" and "Spam" folders for the emailed ballot.
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Updates from Recent ACS Meeting with FDA
ACS leaders met with FDA representatives
earlier this month at their CFSAN offices. The meeting served as another important
step in continuing to advance industry dialogue with regulators in support of artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheese.
Find a detailed recap of this meeting in our recent
Member Update
, including the latest information related to the listeriosis outbreak linked to an artisan producer in New York State.
Some updates from this meeting include:
FDA Considers Cheese Risk Classification Based on Water Activity/pH
FDA Food Safety Plan Builder
FDA shared a preview of its Food Safety Plan Builder. This software-based tool will allow producers to enter facility- and process-specific information to generate key food safety plan documentation, as well as to upload existing food safety planning documents. An FDA representative will demonstrate this new Food Safety Plan Builder at the 2017 ACS Conference in Denver this summer.
Dr. William Jones to Present at 2017 ACS Conference
Dr. William Jones, Deputy Director, Office of Food Safety at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, will share an update with members at the 2017 ACS Conference in Denver. Don't miss it:
register today!
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Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Member Webinars
We have a lot of great online education in store for you in the coming months. Check out our upcoming FREE member webinars below, and mark your calendars!
Three-Part Labeling & Crisis Preparedness Series
Issues with labeling, FSMA compliance, and crisis management/recalls can wreak havoc on a business. Understanding these issues and the resources available to you can give you the knowledge and confidence to grow your business. Join us for this special three-part member webinar series from The Food Law Firm and learn more about these topics, so that your business, and your customers, can thrive!
Presented by Attorney Jason Foscolo of The Food Law Firm
Tuesday, June 6 at 12:00 PM MT
Presented by Dr. Michele Pfannenstiel of Dirigo Food Safety and Jason Foscolo of The Food Law Firm
Friday, July 7 at 12:00 PM MT
Presented by Dr. Michele Pfannenstiel of Dirigo Food Safety and Jason Foscolo of The Food Law Firm
Friday, August 11 at 12:00 PM MT
Also Coming Soon:
All in the Family
Presented by Kendall Antonelli of Antonelli's Cheese Shop
Tuesday, June 20 at 11:00 AM MT
What You Need to Know About the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
Presented by Michael and Charlie Kalish of Food Safety Guides
Wednesday, August 23 at 11:00 AM MT
Phage 101
Presented by Robin Peterson of PhageGuard
Wednesday,
September
6 at
12
:00 PM
MT
Spotlight on Technology: Using Lucid Chart for Creating Flow Diagrams
Presented by Michael and Charlie Kalish of Food Safety Guides
Friday,
October 6
at 12:00 PM MT
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Using The Safe Cheesemaking Hub (Webinar Recording)
Take a guided tour of the Safe Cheesemaking Hub, the compendium of food safety resources selected and organized to help cheesemakers, and retailers, easily find the information they need to make sure cheese gets safely into consumers' hands. In this recent webinar, Sarah Spira, ACS Content Manager, walks members through the variety of resources available on the site, with tips and tricks for finding information. This webinar also covers the retailers' toolkit, and study materials for the ACS CCP® Exam.
ACS webinars are made possible by the nonprofit American Cheese Education Foundation. Support the ACE Foundation's work with a tax-deductible donation.
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Are You Responsible for Labor Violations Committed by Companies You Work With?
Attorney Rick Alaniz of Alaniz Schraeder Linker Farris Mayes, L.L.P., a national labor and employment firm based in Houston, is providing ACS members with monthly articles on issues that may be of relevance to your business. This month, gain important insight into your business' potential liability for labor violations committed by outside companies hired to work with you.
Read the full article here.
Richard D. Alaniz is a senior partner at Alaniz Schraeder Linker Farris Mayes, L.L.P., a national labor and employment firm based in Houston. He has been at the forefront of labor and employment law for over thirty years, including stints with the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board. Rick is a prolific writer on labor and employment law and conducts frequent seminars to client companies and trade associations across the country. Questions about this article can be addressed to Rick at (281) 833-2200 or
ralaniz@alaniz-schraeder.com.
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From The Cultured Kitchen Archives: Arugula and Blueberry Salad with Ricotta Salata and Blood Orange Vinaigrette
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| Photo: American Cheese Society |
This delicious salad from The Cultured Kitchen archives is the perfect way to kick off warmer weather, featuring blueberries, mint, blood oranges, and ricotta salata!
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 blood oranges (3 for the salad, 1 for juicing)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon minced shallots
- 1/8 cup ricotta salata, crumbled (try using one of our ACS award-winning cheeses from the 2015 ACS Judging & Competition)
- 5 ounces arugula
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 3 sprigs fresh mint
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Vinaigrette: With a citrus juicer, juice one of the blood oranges and 1/2 a lemon. Pour the juice into a bowl or jar and set aside. Mince the shallot very finely and add to the juiced citrus. Next add the olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste, whisk and set aside.
Salad: Take the remaining 3 blood oranges and cut off the ends. Carefully peel the skins using a sharp paring knife, removing as much of the pith as possible. Slice the peeled blood oranges a quarter to a half an inch thick. Crumble the Ricotta Salata and set aside. Carefully pull the mint leaves from their stems and set aside. Arrange the sliced oranges in the bottom of four salad bowls. Then add a few handfuls of the arugula to each bowl, top with the blueberries, fresh mint and ricotta salata. Drizzle with the blood orange vinaigrette and serve.
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