Dear ACS members,

In recent weeks, the FDA has stepped up audit activity and inspections at creameries around the country. ACS understands and shares your desire to stay abreast of developments, be prepared for visits from inspectors, and follow careful internal systems to ensure the quality and safety of your products.

We are working to collect data on current FDA audit and inspection trends. If you are a cheesemaker, it is vital that you complete our important survey - one submission per company, please - by November 10th. We will report complete survey data back to you. In addition, ACS has made a number of valuable resources available to members on our website.

As the leader in supporting and promoting American cheese, ACS has developed a three-pronged approach to assisting our members, focusing on data, education, and dialogue. Learn more about this approach, and find out how you can help, by reading my complete member update on the ACS website.

Thank you for your time, attention, and commitment to supporting and promoting American cheese!

-Christine Hyatt, President

Maintaining best practices for food safety and sanitation must be an integral part of any cheesemaking operation. ACS supports and promotes cheesemakers who adhere to all state and federal regulatory standards. In addition, ACS recommends that cheesemakers take it upon themselves to exceed those basic standards.

ACS has created and compiled a number of resources to help ensure that you produce the best, safest, and healthiest cheeses -- and that you will be prepared for audit inspections with an impeccable facility, control plan, and policies in place. These member-only resources are designed to help you institute and maintain best practices, be prepared for an audit inspection, and manage a crisis.

As a retailer, you and your staff are at the forefront of educating the public about raw milk cheeses.  Communicating accurate and unbiased information is important, so we have provided an article by Janet Fletcher on "The Myths about Raw Milk Cheese" which may be of value to your counter staff and customers.