In This Issue...
News and ACS Updates:
Opportunities for Education:
Regulatory Updates:
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Microbes, Science, and Regulation in the American Artisan Cheese Industry
"The FDA Is Coming Around to the Idea That Cheese, Microbes, and Mold Can Work Just Fine": this
TIME story
explores the role of microbes, and regulation, in the American artisan cheese industry, and also highlights ACS's work to advocate for artisan and raw milk cheesemakers.
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ACS Members Participate in Raw Milk Cheese Panel at Slow Food Cheese
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Kat Feete of Meadow Creek Dairy & ACS President John Antonelli of Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Photo © Cheese 2017
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With the United States as a guest nation at this year's Slow Food Cheese event in Bra, Italy, a panel was convened to present issues facing American producers of raw milk cheese, and further the discussion with international peers.
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2018 State of the Industry Survey
In 2018, ACS will be releasing its biennial State of the U.S. Artisan/Specialty Cheese Industry Survey. This survey provides ACS with key information about cheesemaker demographics, practices, and business insights. With producers representing the core of ACS's membership, we count on our cheesemaker members to participate in the survey, to help us glean insight into your world so that we can continue to serve and support our core. Look for more information about participating in early 2018.
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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ACS Begins Initiative Focused on Food Safety at Retail
In October of 2016 a subset of the ACS Regulatory & Academic (R&A) Committee met to discuss the development of a Best Practices Guide for Retail, and the decision was made to move forward with the creation of a Best Practices Guide to Food Safety at Retail upon the completion of the 2nd edition of the
ACS Best Practices Guide for Cheesemakers
and the launch of
The Safe Cheesemaking Hub
, which includes
the Retailers Toolkit,
a page dedicated to retailer members.
The R&A Committee met in June 2017 to move forward with the Best Practices Guide to Food Safety at Retail. To get a better understanding of member needs, ACS also hosted an open networking session during the ACS Conference in Denver, CO.
Based on the initial feedback, the existing Retailer's Toolkit will be expanded into a sister site to the Safe Cheesemaking Hub, and the Best Practices Guide to Food Safety at Retail will be included within it, as a hybrid of:
- Instructional videos
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Training tools
-
Templates
-
"CliffsNotes
®"-style guides
- ...and more
ACS is currently seeking to build its library of templates for retail businesses. If you have a procedure sheet or other document (such as temperature log templates, farmer's market logbooks, sanitation logs, receiving logs) that you would be willing to share, please send it to
[email protected]
. We are hoping to review the range of templates utilized by industry members, compile them, anonymize them, and share them with ACS members as part of the Best Practices Guide to Food Safety at Retail.
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The
ACS Body of Knowledge is a comprehensive framework that aims to encompass the interdisciplinary domains of information that comprise the knowledge base of the cheese industry. First compiled in 2010, the Body of Knowledge has been edited and revised over the years to reflect the rapidly growing and changing cheese industry.
The 2017 update is the first major overhaul, with 45+ industry subject matter experts providing input and comments to ACS. The Body of Knowledge is a tool that will be used by ACS to create a structure and content outline, and to demonstrate the range of subjects that the industry draws from. ACS will use the Body of Knowledge to begin cataloging its collection of content, and to identify gaps in research and knowledge areas -- ultimately elevating the level of knowledge across the industry.
The chart below is a tool to help members visualize the domains covered in the ACS Body of Knowledge.
Click here to view the Body of Knowledge, which will be posted on the ACS website in the coming months with expanded sub-categories.
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Free, Online Food Safety Education for ACS Members
Check out archived and upcoming ACS and industry-led food safety webinars, as well as recorded 2017 Conference sessions, all available to members at no cost:
Archived Food Safety Webinars:
Upcoming ACS Food Safety Webinars:
- Three-Part Series: Intellectual Property and the Food Industry
Donna Tobin, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
Thursday, December 14, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm MST
Thursday, February 15, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm MST
Recorded Food Safety-focused Conference Sessions
Sessions from the 2017 ACS Conference in Denver are now available for viewing.
Audio and PowerPoints were captured for the following sessions:
- Got Gas? Gas Defects in Cheese with an Emphasis on Late Blowing
- Survivor's Guide to the PC Rules
- Tools to Improve Cheese Consistency & Troubleshooting
Full video recordings are available for the following sessions:
- Good Cheese Gone Bad
- FDA Update
- Demystifying the Complex World of Cheese Crystals
- Obsalim: How the Animals Tell You About Their Nutrition
Access to these recorded sessions is complimentary as a benefit of ACS membership. Watch recorded sessions a
t ACS Education On-Demand
an
d continue your professional development well beyond our Annual Conference. Log in to view recordings with the username and password that you received from Multiview, our Conference recording partner (look for an email sent by [email protected]).
Additional Industry Programming:
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What's Next? Cheese R&D Comes Out from Behind the Curtain
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Photo: The Mobile Monger
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Thirteen American cheesemakers showcased their latest and greatest products that are currently in the Research & Development (R&D) phase and received feedback from nearly 200 ACS members at the 2017 ACS Conference in Denver this summer. Audience members in this session,
What's Next? Cheese R&D Comes Out from Behind the Curtain, included cheesemakers, retailers, food writers, distributors, and other cheese professionals who heard first-hand from the participating producers about the potential additions to their product lines. Feedback from participants suggests that members on both sides of the table saw value in receiving and providing feedback directly in this speed-dating-style session. ACS will continue to offer this session in 2018 and will be looking for cheesemakers who wish to showcase their products at the next ACS Conference, "Forged in Cheese," in Pittsburgh, PA next July. If you are a producer with products in the R&D stage, please look for a call for participation in our CheeseBytes member newsletter in 2018.
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New Spanish Language Resources on The Safe Cheesemaking Hub
The Safe Cheesemaking Hub has been updated to include more
Spanish-language food safety resources,
with translated titles and resource descriptions. Find dictionaries, training resources -- including supply chain and dairy industry materials like The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy's publication on the Control of Listeria monocytogenes -- and more for the dairy industry in Spanish.
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Food Safety Basics for Artisan Cheesemakers: Online Course Now Available
North Carolina State University has launched an online course focused on teaching food safety to artisan cheese producers. The online course is a collaborative project with a group of food safety and cheese experts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Connecticut, Cornell University, and NC State University. The course consists of five sections:
(1) Importance of Food Safety
(2) Regulations and Standards
(3) Food Safety Hazards
(4) Good Manufacturing Practices and Process Controls
(5) Environmental Pathogen Monitoring and Testing
This $140 course is a complimentary benefit of ACS Membership. When registering, use the code
ACS-FREE to receive the discounted rate.
Have friends that aren't yet ACS members, but who make cheese? Use the registration code
INTRO- FREE through 12/31/2017 for complimentary registration.
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In August of 2017 the FDA released the first version of its Food Safety Plan Builder (FSPB). This tool is a free, downloadable software program to help food processors build food safety plans. Member, cheesemaker, and author Gianaclis Caldwell tested the FSPB:
read her thorough and thoughtful review
to get tips on using the program.
FDA is interested in user feedback about the FSPB, which can be sent to
[email protected]
.
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The Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is recruiting 17 new members for the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The Committee provides scientific advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning the development of microbiological criteria by which the safety and wholesomeness of foods can be assessed.
USDA seeks nominees with scientific expertise in the fields of microbiology (food, clinical, and predictive), food technology, epidemiology, toxicology, risk assessment, infectious disease, biostatistics, and other related sciences. The
Federal Register Notice
contains additional details on the Committee and how to apply.
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FDA Issues Guidance on Labeling and Use of Ultrafiltered Milk in Cheese Production
On August 14, 2017, FDA issued guidance to industry that it will exercise enforcement discretion regarding the use and labeling of fluid ultrafiltered milk (UF milk) and fluid ultrafiltered nonfat milk (UF nonfat milk) to make certain cheeses and related cheese products. The FDA is taking this action now due to recent changes in some export markets that have caused the U.S. dairy industry to experience an oversupply and pricing challenges with domestically produced UF milk. The exercise of enforcement discretion is intended to mitigate, in part, the impact on U.S. companies producing UF milk, while the FDA considers rulemaking concerning the issues about the use and labeling of UF milk and UF nonfat milk in certain cheeses and cheese products.
The FDA is encouraging manufacturers of standardized cheeses and related cheese products to identify fluid ultrafiltered milk and fluid ultrafiltered nonfat milk, when used as ingredients, as "ultrafiltered milk" and "ultrafiltered nonfat milk" when feasible and appropriate. That said, they do not intend to take action against companies that manufacture standardized cheeses and related cheese products that contain fluid ultrafiltered milk or fluid ultrafiltered nonfat milk without declaring them in the ingredient statement, as long as their labels declare milk or nonfat milk in the ingredient statement.
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FDA Releases Compliance Guide for Small Businesses under FSMA Intentional Adulteration Rule
The SECG was prepared in accordance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act. It provides nonbinding recommendations on such topics as developing a food defense plan and records management. For more information on FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act, visit
http://www.fda.gov/fsma
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Paperwork and recording-keeping can be burdensome and time-consuming, especially for smaller producers. FDA is currently seeking comments from stakeholders that can help FDA identify existing regulations and related paperwork requirements that could be modified, repealed, or replaced to reduce this burden while still achieving its public health mission. Review the proposed rule and submit comments here.
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