2026 Annual Conference
The NCR FSMA Annual Conference was held May 5-6, in Des Moines, Iowa. People attended both in-person and virtually.
The conference was held at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates building.
Produce safety educators, regulators, and non-profit staff attended! We covered produce safety from both the grower and processor perspective. We heard from other regional centers and national produce safety groups. Several presenters shared about their research and educational programs. The results of an inspector survey were shared, as were updates from FDA staff.
We took a farm tour and learned about their u-pick operation and their commercial kitchen, where they process fruit and bake bread.
Apply for a stipend to help cover your travel costs.
Conference Schedule
Download the Draft Agenda
May 5: 8:30am conference begins
4:30pm conference concludes for the day
May 6: meet in the hotel lobby at 8:15am, for an 8:30am departure for a farm tour
3:00pm conference concludes
The conference was held at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, and participants had an opportunity to tour the historic building. We also learned about Norman Borlaug and his commitment to feeding people around the world. The group was welcomed to Iowa by the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Environmental Monitoring Program Course
Environmental monitoring is used as a verification process to ensure the effective use of sanitation control measures in a food processing operation, when an environmental hazard, such as Salmonella or Listeria, is reasonably likely to be present. This course will provide tools to comply with regulatory requirements for implementation of effective sanitation practices. Dr. Byron Chaves, from Rutgers University, will lead the course.
The Environmental Monitoring Program course was held in-person at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Downtown Des Moines.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT: This course is designed for food safety and quality professionals working with ready-to-eat foods, including produce, dairy, and meat operations, as well as meat retail and deli environments. QA managers, food safety coordinators, sanitation leaders, plant supervisors, auditors, and technical staff responsible for sampling, verification, and corrective actions as well as consultants and extension professionals advising food businesses will benefit most. Participants will gain practical, decision-focused skills to design and strengthen EMP systems that effectively control environmental pathogen risks.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
This work is supported by the Food Safety Outreach Program [grant no. 2018-70020-28877; grant no. 2021-70020-35732; and grant no. 2024-70020-42954] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.