Description

Contamination of value-added foods from food allergens and inaccurate ingredient labeling account for 28% of food recalls in the United States. A food recall not only puts your customers at risk, but can damage your business’ reputation and create significant financial liability.

In this one-day, in-person training you will gain the food safety knowledge and practical skills needed to minimize risks of food allergen hazards in your business. The training will include classroom instruction, case study review and discussion, and a commercial kitchen tour to reinforce key practices.

After attending the training, you will be able to:

1. Identify the nine major food allergens and "hidden" sources.
2. Explain the importance of ingredient consistency for accurate product formulation and labeling.
3. Understand how facility design, sanitation, and food handling practices can prevent or contribute to cross-contact.
4. Apply this knowledge to inspect your own food businesses for potential cross-contact risks and implement changes to reduce them.
5. Develop or update a recall plan.
6. Use best practices for communicating about food allergens to customers.

This training is intended for small- to -mid-size food processors who are operating in a private or shared commercial kitchen or production space; cottage food producers who are planning to transition to a licensed food handler business; farmers processing their product of the farm foods; and retail food establishments who also conduct food processing. Special emphasis will be placed on foods prepared in a shared commercial kitchen or processing environments.

This training is sponsored by the Minnesota Food Safety and Defense Task Force.

Schedule

This training will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026

• 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. Arrival, networking, light refreshments
• 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 am. Training
• 11:30 - 12:45 p.m. Lunch & walking tour of Ecolab campus
• 12:45 - 2:15 p.m. Training
• 2:15 - 2:30 p.m. Break, afternoon refreshments
• 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Kitchen tour & debrief
• 3:30 - 4:00 p.m. Wrap-up

Location

Ecolab Schuman Campus
655 Lone Oak Dr
Eagan, MN 55121

Course contacts and instructors

This one-day workshop is led by members of the Minnesota Food Safety and Defense Task Force:

• Amy Johnston, UMN Extension, ajohn23@umn.edu
• Autumn Stoll, UMN Extension, stoll149@umn.edu
• Erin Mertz, Ecolab
• Natasha Hedin, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
• Wania Espinoza

Registration help

Extension Learning Technologies (ELT)
ext-reg@umn.edu