FDA Commissioner Giving Keynote at American Cheese Society Annual Business Meeting

SACRAMENTO, CA – The American Cheese Society (ACS) is hosting its Annual Business Meeting in Sacramento from July 29 – August 1.  The meeting will feature FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, Mike Taylor, who will clarify the FDA’s positions on the use of wood for cheese aging and will address key questions from ACS members in a keynote address.

Prior to the address, ACS will meet with Deputy Commissioner Taylor and other FDA representatives for a discussion on issues facing the industry and the potential threats to traditional cheesemaking methods.  In a release, the ACS says its goals for the meeting include: 

• A joint commitment to a series of meetings and a protocol for working together collaboratively.
• Reaching agreement on key topics to be covered in future meetings, and other organizations to include.
• Engaging ACS earlier in key processes, such as peer review of risk assessments prior to draft publication.
• Discussing how ACS can partner to offer pro-active "solutions" from industry to regulators.

The ACS is currently taking questions for Mr. Taylor, which will be compiled in advance so Mr. Taylor will be able to address them in his keynote speech. To submit a question, email ACS at [email protected]. The deadline is Friday, July 18.

Advance registration for the ACS Conference has closed, but on-site registration will be available beginning at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, July 29, at the Sacramento Convention Center.

ACS Conference