In March, 2018, ACS will meet with FDA to touch base on key issues for the artisan cheese industry. While ACS will seek clarity on ongoing issues of concern, input from ACS members is also sought so that we can best represent your current concerns.
Please take part in this short survey to share your thoughts with us.
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2018 ACS State of the Artisan/Cheese Industry Survey
ACS will be conducting our biennial State of the U.S. Artisan/Specialty Cheese Industry Survey in early 2018. This survey provides critical industry data including information about cheesemaker demographics, practices, and business insights.
With producers representing the core of ACS's membership, we are counting on our cheesemaker members to participate in this survey, to help us gain insight into your world so that we can continue to serve, support, and advocate for you. Look for more information about participating in the coming months.
Click
here to check out the Summary Report from our inaugural State of the U.S. Artisan/Specialty Cheese Industry Survey, which was conducted in 2016.
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The Cheese Makers' Resource Conference, o
rganized by Agri-Service, LLC, is a 2-day educational event offered to cheese artisans of all skill levels. The conference will be held from February 13-14, 2018 in New Holland, Pennsylvania. ACS members can receive a $15 discount per day on the cost of registration. Simply mark that you are an ACS member on the
online registration form
and the discount will be applied.
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Penn State Extension Releases Cheese Tracking System
Penn State Extension Program has released the Cheese Tracking System. This tool, designed especially for small-scale cheesemakers, was funded by a grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The tool identifies measurable parameters and provides templates to monitor and record variation to help cheesemakers understand how changes in raw materials and processes impact the sensory characteristics, consistency, and quality of their cheese.
The Penn State Extension Cheese Tracking System The system consists of customizable documents and spreadsheets to record, track and evaluate data using Excel and Word templates for:
- Milk composition and quality
- The cheesemaking process
- Processing after the initial cheese make day
- Cheese chemical composition
- Cheese sensory characteristics
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Artisan Advisory Group Conducts Pilot Workshop at Cornell, Launches Nationwide Workshop Series
The Artisan Cheese Food Safety Advisory Team,
a collaboration between the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the American Cheese Society, University of Connecticut, Cornell University, the Center for Dairy Research, NC State University, Clock Shadow Creamery, Dairy Connection LLC, The Ice Cream Club, Jasper Hill Farm, Marketing Concepts Inc., SYSCO Food Service, and Whole Foods Market, was formed in May of 2016, as an outcome of the
Artisan Food Safety Forum
held at the ACS Conference in Providence, RI in August 2015.
The kick-off meeting for the group identified three objectives:
- Identify and consolidate existing resources into a "one stop shop" website.
- Create an online food safety training class.
- Create direct, hands-on resources to support small processors utilizing University, extension, and industry resources.
The first objective, the
Safe Cheesemaking Hub, was launched in March of 2017. The Safe Cheesemaking Hub--a food safety resource for cheesemakers that compiles links to resource documents, references, templates, online tools, and general cheesemaking information to support artisan producers.
The second objective was online food safety training.
The Online Food Safety Basics for Artisan Cheesemakers was created by North Carolina State University with support from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, and was formally released in June of 2017. This course is free for ACS Members with code ACS-FREE.
The third objective, Hands-On Training - Food Safety Plan Coaching & Support, is intended to build on current dairy education programs to support and provide training available on a national level. The primary goal of the training is to help attendees complete their own food safety plan with support from the class and instructors. This effort started with financial support for three workshops from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and was supplemented by a three-year, $400,000 NIFA grant, to be coordinated by Cornell University. This funding will directly support the national workshops and includes personnel at Cornell for coordination and follow-up.
The pilot workshop was held in October at Cornell University. The USDA NIFA Grant that will allow for 20 additional workshops as well as fund half a position that will provide National Technical Support. The remaining half was funded by the National Dairy Council. This position will also work to coordinate and support the workshops, and assist in follow up for attendees.
The workshop, Artisan Dairy Food Safety Plan Coaching, is
scheduled for the following dates and locations:
February 7-8, 2018
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Registration: $49
March 14-15, 2018
Portland, OR (location TBD)
Registration: $49
September 25-26, 2018
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Registration: $49
If you would like to attend, find the full schedule of courses with links to register here.
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The FDA has developed the
FSMA section of its website to consolidate information that can help stakeholders understand the law and how it will be implemented. In redesigning the site to be more functional, and to ensure it is a valuable resource for the public, FDA has requested feedback from ACS on the site. ACS focused on finding aids, executive summaries to help producers on-the-fly, as well as clarity in identifying the most current and pertinent documents. If you have thoughts on how FDA's site could be improved to be more user-friendly for small businesses, please email
Nora Weiser.
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