RFA Technical Webcasts

The RFA hosts quarterly Technical Webcasts on timely food safety and regulatory topics affecting
the prepared foods industry. The Webcasts are live, interactive events that you can join from your office!

See below for details on the latest Technical Webcast.

RFA Members can access slide presentations from past Technical Webcasts at anytime in the Member Center.

April 18, 2018 RFA Technical Webcast:

“Use of Predictive Microbial Models

for Food Safety Assessment and Management”

REGISTER HERE for this live, interactive Webcast that you can join from your office!

Date and Time:

     * Wednesday, April 18, 2018, from 2:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time 

      (1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Central, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Mountain, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Pacific)

Overview:

Microbial models are based upon the premise that microorganisms will react reproducibly to their environment, and therefore microbial responses can be predicted given  a set of environmental conditions. Although such predictions always come with some degree of uncertainty, they can be useful for food safety assessment and management. There are a variety of predictive microbial models available as desk-top or web-based software programs, which can be utilized by the food industry to gain quick insights into the microbial safety of food products and processes. These tools are called, "tertiary models," and have been constructed by researchers based upon multiple observed patterns of changes of microbial numbers over time and environmental conditions. Such models can predict or estimate bacterial transfer, survival, inactivation, and growth. This webcast will demonstrate the use of tertiary models for food safety assessments using a few practical examples. 

Presenter:

Peter Taormina, Ph.D., Etna Consulting Group

Peter J. Taormina, Ph.D. is President of Etna Consulting Group, a company that provides solutions and strategies for enhancing and maintaining effective food safety and quality systems. Some key areas of work include HACCP and Food Safety Plan development, environmental monitoring and control of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms, food product formulation for shelf life and pathogen control, and microbiological validations.

Peter has previously held food safety and quality related positions at Smithfield Foods, The Coca-Cola Company, and The University of Georgia, and has advanced the safety, quality, and regulatory compliance of a wide variety of food products in the marketplace. He is a past recipient of the Harold Barnum Industry Award from the International Association for Food Protection and the Scientific Achievement Award from the North American Meat Institute.

Dr. Taormina earned his B.S. in Biology from Valdosta State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Food Science and Technology and Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia. He frequently presents on subject of food safety microbiology and has published 22 peer-reviewed journal articles and several book chapters on food safety microbiology. He has written over 200 process authority letters for food and beverage products, designed over 150 challenge studies to validate the safety and quality of food, and has worked in an estimated 100 food plants. He has volunteered in various capacities for organizations and associations that advance the safety and quality of food.

How does the webcast work?

It's easy and convenient!  A virtual seminar is one that you can "attend" and participate in right from your offices. There is no travel time, and now provided at NO COST to RFA members!
     

The RFA Technical Webcast will include live audio along with a slide presentation on the Web. You just need a phone connection for the audio and an Internet connection.  

In addition, the webcast will allow you to comment and ask questions at specified times during the event using your phone.
     

You can invite staff members to listen and participate too!  To get the most out of a webcast, it is recommended that you have no more than five people at any one computer connection. If you have multiple locations, please register each location separately.

Registration Information:

The cost for this event is as follows:

• RFA Members: NO CHARGE - Now Included as a Member Benefit!

• Non-Members: $310 per computer/audio connection

To attend the meeting, you can either:

• Download and complete a Registration form and send it in to the RFA office by fax or mail with your payment (if applicable). Checks must be made payable to the Refrigerated Foods Association. Forms should be received no later than April 13, 2018.

Once you have registered for the meeting, you will receive an email message inviting you to attend the web conference with instructions on how to attend. This message will provide the information that you need to join the meeting.

Please note: You must have JAVA enabled on your computer to participate in the web conference.

If you have questions about the RFA Technical Webcasts, please e-mail the RFA office at meg@refrigeratedfoods.org.