Upcoming Events

This year our tailgate will be held prior to the game against the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, October 19, 2019. A fun event before the game and an opportunity to reconnect with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students while learning what’s new on campus and in the department.

In this 2.5 day short course, the class participants will be able to understand the difference and challenges in formulating yogurt alternatives versus traditional yogurts, understand the breadth and functionality or plant-proteins that are available for formulation, and take away a toolbox of solutions to formulating and processing in the yogurt alternative space.

Participants in this 3 day course will gain knowledge on the operational and regulatory procedures used for pasteurization, with an emphasis on milk.

This course covers the fundamentals of assessing and managing the risk associated with intentional contamination in food manufacturing facilities. The course looks at preventive strategies, vulnerability assessments, and the development of a Food Defense Plan for the facility. Crisis management and product recall procedures are also discussed in the event a situation occurs.

This course covers the fundamentals of assessing and managing the risk associated with intentional contamination in food manufacturing facilities. The course looks at preventive strategies, vulnerability assessments, and the development of a Food Defense Plan for the facility. Crisis management and product recall procedures are also discussed in the event a situation occurs.

Farmstead and artisan dairy processors and others interested in cheese that take this course will gain knowledge of the materials and processes used to make specialty cheese and learn techniques to improve their business. This 4 day course begins with a focus on the materials used for cheese making. Knowledge of milk composition and milk microbiology combined with good sanitation practices form the foundation for consistent manufacture of high quality cheese.

The Preventive Controls for Human Foods Certification Workshop provides the credentials to meet FDA requirements for development and implementation of HACCP based systems as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations. This 2 1/2 day course was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, a broad-based public private alliance created by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) in cooperation with the Association of Food and Drug Officials. This course is presented by certified Penn State instructors.

Learn the ins and outs of ice cream manufacturing as knowledgeable instructors take you from "Cow to Cone" at the 128th Penn State Ice Cream Short Course.

The Preventive Controls for Human Foods Certification Workshop provides approved training (FSPCA certificate) to meet FDA requirements for PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) for the development and implementation of HACCP based systems as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations. Often referred to as HARPC, this 2 ½ day course was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, a broad-based alliance in cooperation with the FDA. This course is presented by FSPCA approved instructors from Penn State.

Ice Cream 101: Introduction to Frozen Desserts is designed to provide anyone interested in ice cream with the basics of ice cream composition, formulation, and processing. The course focuses on the small-scale manufacturing of frozen desserts.

Interested in leadership development? Interested in intellectual and emotional growth? Interested to learn more about working in diverse teams? The Department of Food Science invites undergraduates and graduate students to apply for the 2020 Food Science Leadership Academy.

The Better Process Control School (BPCS) is a 2-4 day school designed for manufacturers of shelf stable, acidified and low acidified foods (including pet foods). U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations in 21 CFR 108, 113, and 114 require that acidified and low acid food manufacturers operate with a certified supervisor on hand at all times during production. This BPCS also meets U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations 9 CFR 318.300 and 381.300 for shelf stable, thermally processed meat and poultry products.

This 2.5 day workshop addresses the basic principles of sensory science from discrimination and acceptance testing to good laboratory procedures to the theoretical underpinnings for these practices.

The Food Microbiology Short course provides insight into the most recent developments of food-borne pathogens, toxins, and contaminants that may occur in a food plant environment. The short course is delivered in classroom and laboratory environments and includes a mixture of theory, demonstrations, and practical sessions on the fundamentals of food microbiology and food safety. Attendees can develop a detailed understanding of the methods used to isolate important spoilage microorganisms and food-borne pathogens and the role of food microbiologist in ensuring safe food products.

A 2.5 day workshop that addresses principles of packaging science including legal and safety aspects, packaging functions and requirements, types of packaging materials, modified atmosphere packaging, active packaging, packaging for emerging processing technologies, shelf life and package testing among other relevant topics. The course involves theory, demonstrations and hands-on experiences along with presentations by packaging industry representatives.

This course teaches core concepts of Food Science. It is designed for technical personnel from other disciplines (chemistry, biology, engineering) and nontechnical personnel who have little or no experience in the food industry. You will learn vocabulary associated with food science and manufacturing, and learn the core principles of food chemistry, engineering, microbiology, nutrition, sensory science, and packaging taught in the context of real-world food examples.