With the holidays behind us, now is the time to buckle down and get cheese business done--and the ACS Pavilion at the Winter Fancy Food Show is one important way to do so. Through our strategic alliance with the NASFT, opportunities to market, purchase, and sell members' products are increasing, and our organization's visibility continues to blossom. If you have never made it to the show, or think your business is too small to participate, think again. The opportunity to visit with local producers, cutting edge retailers, and knowledgeable industry professionals makes it time well-spent. A bonus in recent years has been the advent of the Good Food Awards, held over the same weekend, which celebrate small food and beverage producers of the highest quality. Both offer a great mid-winter excuse to re-charge the batteries, whether you are an exhibitor, attendee, or award-winner.

ACS is also pleased to offer a way to recharge your batteries from the comfort and convenience of your home or office this season, with the return of our popular Winter Webinar series. Save the date for the first webinar, Surviving a Recall: What Every Cheesemaker Needs to Know, on February 13. You can read more about the webinar in this issue of CheeseBytes.

Of course, nothing compares to the rich content and networking opportunities of the "real deal," the ACS Annual Conference, which in 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of ACS's work to serve its members, the industry, and consumers. How appropriate that the conference is being held in America's Dairyland, Wisconsin's beautiful capital city of Madison. Our conference planning committee, led by co-chairs Jeanne Carpenter, Sara Hill, and Bob Wills, is assembling a program that we'll be talking about for years to come. Thanks to all who are working so hard, and mark your calendars for July 31-August 3, so that you can be a part of ACS history!

With so much news and activity related to the Food Safety Modernization Act afoot, please make sure that you meet, at a minimum, the requirements by FDA to be in compliance. ACS continues to engage with senior FDA and key elected officials around FDA's emerging policy. As you may recall, Nora Weiser, Allison Hooper and David Gremmels (Co-Chairs of the ACS Past Presidents Advisory Council), and I communicated recently to these important players. Do you have contacts with your elected or regulatory officials? Please contact ACS so we can help you constructively engage with them to promote mutual understanding.

Now, on to immerse in the business of cheese and escape a few days of the Chicago cold. Please let ACS know how we can help you during these winter months, and thanks to so many of you who participated in our annual Cheesemaker Industry Survey. Keep making, promoting and selling the highest quality cheese, and we look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon!

Greg O'Neill
President

The NASFT Winter Fancy Food Show is coming up, and we are excited to have so many ACS cheesemaker members exhibiting in the ACS Pavilion. ACS will be there too, in booth #5009, so if you'll be in San Francisco, stop by to say "hi" and pick up a copy of our most recent Cheesemaker Survey Report with the latest data and industry trends.

As you are probably aware, the FDA is moving forward with implementing changes called for by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Currently up for public comment is FSMA Proposed Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Food: Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food. The proposed rule would implement the requirements of FSMA for covered facilities to establish and implement a food safety system that includes hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls. Specifically, the proposed rule would establish requirements for:

• A written food safety plan;
• Hazard analysis;
• Preventive controls for hazards that are reasonably likely to occur;
• Monitoring;
• Corrective actions;
• Verification; and
• Associated records. 

You can read the Executive Summary or tackle the full 608 page document and if you wish to comment on the proposed rule, you may do so here.

We hope to see you in San Francisco,

Nora Weiser
Executive Director

Visit ACS at the Fancy Food Show! Booth #5009 

ACS to Release Industry Data at Winter Fancy Food Show

2013 ACS Winter Webinar Series Kicks Off   

ACS is excited to announce the kickoff of our popular Winter Webinar Series, which is offered free to all members. This year, we received an overwhelming response to our Call for Presentations for the ACS Conference in Madison, WI. As a result, we have developed several webinars from those proposals that our members can benefit from well before the conference. The first webinar, "Surviving a Recall," has been confirmed--and more are in the works. Please be sure to check CheeseBytes and the ACS website for updates on additional webinars that will be offered this year.

SURVIVING A RECALL: WHAT EVERY CHEESEMAKER NEEDS TO KNOW

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Presenters:

-Polly Ligon O'Grady, Owner, Ready Ink Communications

-Allen R. Sayler, Vice President, Center for Food Safety & Regulatory Solutions 

The word "recall" often evokes powerful emotions, most notably anxiety and fear. Join three industry experts as they discuss steps that can help you avoid a recall, as well as how to develop a simple and effective recall program that will prepare your company for what is an avoidable and survivable event. Allen Sayler, who grew up on a small dairy farm and at one time worked as a state and FDA food safety regulator, will share his 30 years of expertise on the basic food safety programs for every cheesemaker that will help prevent recalls, as well as key parts of an effective company recall program. A third presenter (TBA) will provide insight into their experiences working with state and FDA recall enforcement staff, and share lessons learned. And finally, when you find yourself in a recall situation, what do you say, to whom do you say it, and what method of communication should you use to tell your customers and the world your side of the "story"? Crisis communication expert Polly Ligon O'Grady, also a former dairy farm kid, will walk you through tips and best practices for effective communication through traditional and social media channels.

Enrollment for this webinar will open soon; check the ACS website for details! 

From the Member Services Desk 

Each month, in this new feature, you'll learn about a great ACS benefit available to members. Be sure to get the most out of your ACS membership by taking advantage of these valuable, educational, and money-saving benefits.

If you're reading this, then you know that CheeseBytes is ACS's monthly e-newsletter, filled with industry news, timely ACS information, and some "cheesy" items as well. ACS Board President Greg O'Neill and ACS Executive Director Nora Weiser share their insights with members each month. Timely industry news, such as the required FDA registration for food facilities, is also included in each issue.

Reading CheeseBytes each month will keep you up-to-date on valuable ACS information, as well. This includes important deadlines and guidelines for our Judging & Competition, Annual Conference registration procedures, details about upcoming events, and opportunities to promote your products at industry and consumer events.

If you or your colleagues have trouble receiving CheeseBytes:

• Make sure that ACS has an accurate and current email address on file,
• Add info@cheesesociety.org to your approved sender list,
• Make sure your ACS membership has been renewed for 2013, or
• Email jhemphill@cheesesociety.org, and I'll make sure it gets to your inbox.

Happy Reading!

Special Member Discount! Sanitation for Farmstead Dairies 

ACS members can enjoy a 15% discount on a six week online course offered by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls! To register and enjoy this special discount of $60 off the $400 registration fee, simply submit your registration form by February 1 and write "ACS Member" on the top of the form. Learn more about this course below. 

Sanitation for Farmstead Dairies (Online Course) 

February 18 - March 29, 2013

$340 ACS members/$400 non-members 

Sanitation for Farmstead Dairies is an online course designed to help participants understand and apply proper sanitation techniques in food processing establishments. Participants will receive the technical material needed to make informed decisions about their processing facility. During the time they spend working with this class, they will develop a comprehensive Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures paper, commonly  known as an SSOP. SSOPs enhance Good Manufacturing Programs, and both are considered prerequisites for a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) System. Learn more about the course--and if you wish to enroll, please remember to do so by the February deadline! 

Save the Dates! ACS 30th Anniversary: In a Dairy State of Mind