Our series of Best-in-Class webinars provides a quick study on various topics related to core food safety concepts. Each course is performed as a 2-hour “lunch and learn”-style presentation. Lead instructor, Mike Cramer of the Eurofins Advanced Learning Institute, delivers practical guidance and basic tools through the viewpoint of his 40+ years of experience in meat and food manufacturing.
These free webinar sessions are valuable for food industry personnel involved in all phases of food manufacturing, distribution, retail, and storage, and are critical to the foundation of a strong, well-rounded food safety culture.
MEET THE HOST
Michael Cramer | Trainer, Eurofins Advanced Learning Institute
Michael Cramer started his career at Swift & Company in Pennsylvania as a summer employee. He worked his way up to QA Manager (Pennsylvania and North Carolina), Production Specialist and Corporate Documentation Manager (Illinois) to QA Manager at the Swift-Eckrich plant in Chicago and then QA Director for the Armour processed meat and poultry plants. He then moved to Specialty Brands, Inc./Windsor Foods/Ajinomoto Foods North America where he stayed from 1993 to his retirement in 2023. There he served as Director of Food Safety and Quality assurance before being promoted to Senior Director of FSQA.
Mike is known for his in-depth knowledge of food plant sanitation and has written a book, now in its 3rd edition, “Food Plant Sanitation, Design, Maintenance and Good Manufacturing Practices.” He is also a member of the editorial board of Food Safety Magazine and has over twenty articles published dealing with Listeria control, Biosecurity, Sanitation and Sanitary Design, Sanitation 5S, and Allergens. As well, he is a contributing member of the American Frozen Foods Institute Listeria Working Group. You can find multiple Food Safety Matters podcasts and food sanitation webinars that he has led.
Upcoming Live Webinars
Food Allergen Management | April 15, 2026 | Register
Foreign Material Prevention | May 6, 2026 | Register
Integrated Pest Management | June 3, 2026 | Register
Recall Policy and Action Plan | June 24, 2026 | Register
Root Cause Analysis | July 15, 2026 | Coming Soon
Regulatory Response | August 5, 2026 | Coming Soon
Listeria Management | August 26, 2026 | Coming Soon
Sign up here to be notified when registration for future episodes becomes available.
On-Demand Webinars
MicroTally™ has created an easy, FSIS compliant tool for meat sampling. Learn how Eurofins support can make using this tool even easier.
Following the recent webinar titled "Validation of Thermal Processes Applied to Low-Water Activity Foods" experts Shirin Abd and Dr. Wilfredo Ocasio answered some frequently asked questions.
Pathogenic organisms, like Salmonella and E. coli, can grow in low water activity foods, leading to foodborne illness outbreaks. Thermal processes inhibit microbial growth and ensure only safe ingredients and products reach the shelves. Thermal processes must be validated to make sure they fully prevent pathogen growth. This blog outlines what foods may need an LWAF thermal process, what a validation study looks like, and the results the experts at Eurofins provide.
Foreign materials in products can be dangerous to consumers and damage a brand's reputation. At Eurofins, our team of experts is equipped to identify the cause of contamination and help come up with the ideal solution for you. The case study outlines our approach to identifying the source of microbial contamination in bottled juice, and how we work with clients to prevent future issues.
Pathogen testing is a key part of product development. It can prevent foodborne outbreaks and protect consumers' health and brand reputation. Before developing a testing plan, it is important to understand how any why testing is conducted. This White Paper provides an overview of the types of pathogens to test for and the testing options at Eurofins.
Cronobacter infection in infants can be deadly, and it is the responsibility of companies to make sure their products are safe. In this article, we explain what Cronobacter is, how it gets in products, and how testing can protect consumers and brand reputation.
This webinar outlines the concept, design and execution of appropriate validation strategies and procedures intended to mitigate microbiological hazards in Low-Water Activity Foods. In the context of FDA regulations, low-water activity foods (LWAF) are those products with a water activity (aw) of less than 0.85. For many decades, these products were believed to present a low microbiological hazard risk. Various food related illness outbreaks, starting with a massive outbreak of salmonellosis due to peanut butter consumption in 2008-2009, raised awareness of the risk resulting from extended survival of pathogens in these products even in the absence of active growth. Original airdate August 23, 2022.
Contaminated peanut butter recalls have wreaked havoc on the food industry. By understanding how to prevent and mitigate risk of Salmonella contamination, we can prevent economic loss and illness. Learn more in this article about why it keeps happening.
Developing a product requires careful consideration of storage, transport, and retail conditions. Spoilage organism testing helps determine the risk of bacterial spoilage under different conditions. Additionally, spoilage testing can be added to routine microbiology testing to ensure continued product quality and safety.
Indicator organisms are groups of microbes that are correlated with other groups. In other words, the presence of one indicates the presence of another. So, indicator testing detects a small group of pathogens instead of running over 30 tests to look for all potential harmful groups. This reduces testing times and costs.
