More effective environmental monitoring and improved sanitation practices, along with databases such as PulseNet, are helping the industry find Listeria contamination. However, once detected, many processing facilities have difficulty removing the bacteria.

Next month Food Safety Tech is holding a Listeria Detection & Control Workshop to educate food industry professionals about how to integrate prevention and mitigation procedures into existing sanitation, operation and testing programs. The two-day workshop, which takes place May 31 – June 1 in St. Paul, MN, will cover the basics of controlling Listeria, along with the following topics:

• Detecting and penetrating biofilm
• How to build an effective environmental testing program
• Producing reliable testing to detect and control Listeria
• Sanitation departmental role in prevention, control and mitigation
• Building a master sanitation schedule
• Innovative Listeria mitigation programs
• Gaps in proactive food safety programs
• Hygienic equipment design

Industry speakers include:

• John Besser, Ph.D., deputy chief, enteric disease laboratory branch, CDC
• Gina (Nicholson) Kramer, Savour Food Safety International
• Dominique Blackman, Realzyme
• Janet Buffer, The Kroger Company
• Ken Davenport, Ph.D., 3M Food Safety
• Bert de Vegt, Micreos Food Safety
• Joellen Feirtag, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
• Melinda Hayman, Ph.D., GMA
• Sanja Illic, Ph.D., Ohio State University
• Paul Lorcheim, ClorDiSys Solutions
• Douglas Marshal, Ph.D., Eurofins Scientific
• Jeff Mitchell, Chemstar
• Megan Murn, Microbiologics
• Robin Peterson, Micreos
• Errol Raghubeer, Ph.D., Avure Technologies

The event takes place at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Workshop hours are Tuesday, May 31 from 11:00 am–6:00 pm and Wednesday, June 1 from 8:30 am–5:00 pm. For more information, visit the Listeria Detection & Control Workshop event website.