Successful implementation of CIP systems is a team sport that includes: engineering, assessments, and on-site maintenance training from Intralox; sanitation and hygienic design consultation from Commercial Food Sanitation; and most importantly, alignment and engagement from all plant functions supporting the sanitation team."

With great partners like CFS, who communicate and train on industry best practices, and like McDonald's who encourage us to be better every day, we are proud of our Irwindale facility for being a Gold Star facility two years in a row. We choose to meet these ever-increasing standards because we want our consumers and our families to enjoy plant rich foods that are safe, healthy, and of the highest quality."

Our team at Taylor Farms Tennessee greatly appreciates the recognition of our commitment to continuous improvement in hygienic design, sanitation and overall plant environmental health. We are very proud of our 2023 Gold Star Award as well as our entire team and the culture we’ve adopted within our operation."

CFS provided the exact guidance that was needed to improve the sanitation process and did it with perfect poise and professionalism. We have been seeing great improvements thanks to the advice the CFS consultant was able to share during your visit. We are looking forward to working with you and Commercial Food Sanitation in the future.”

Rich Products Corporation has utilized the expertise of CFS at plant level, through consultation for remediation of food safety challenges. Due to their extensive and varied skillsets in sanitation and food safety, CFS provided expertise that aligned with the specific food process and challenge involved."

Last week we had a week-long inspection which included a swab-a-thon. Out of the 85 swabs taken, none came back positive for Listeria spp. I would like to thank the CFS team for all of their hard work driving us to this goal. We are on our journey to becoming the best bakery in the country and we will continue to be working with you in the near future. I just wanted to say thank you for helping us!"

I received [Sanitation Essentials] training at your New Orleans facility a few years back as well as your Food Safety consulting services at our plant back in 2019. I’ve learned a lot both there and since then. Your Food Safety Specialist was and still is a contact for me till this day. Thanks and keep up the good work!!!"

What differentiated the CFS assessment from previous inspections and training we have enlisted, is that CFS provides expertise and practical resources in sanitation principles, holistic food safety procedures and execution methods. We were particularly impressed by the equipment hygienic design concepts and thorough post-sanitation inspection. All of our factory employees benefited from this CFS visit and training."

Rich Products Corporation was developing programs to not only further educate our sanitation leaders, but also to raise awareness within the organization of the importance of sanitation and its relationship with food safety. With help of CFS, we have greatly strengthened our knowledge while finding a trusted and expert partner in sanitation and food safety."

The two-day CFS/Intralox workshop on Sanitation and Hygienic Design was joined by 16 McCain team members from various functions. Sessions were highly interactive and participatory with fruitful discussion on sanitation, hygienic design, site specific challenges and their mitigation plans. The CFS trainer brought excellent materials, outstanding content delivery and made things clearer. It was extremely helpful once we put things into practice. Our cross-functional participant group really appreciated it and found it two very informative days."

We brought in CFS for a customized Hygiene Workshop at our St. Paul plant. The trainers’ experience across multiple types of industries and manufacturing around the globe is mind blowing. I cannot express enough how much of an eye opener, professional development and enrichment, and a must-do these CFS workshops are for our team."

I’d like to thank the CFS experts that delivered the workshop at Spencer Bristol. The two trainers brought expertise and humor to a complex subject, and did a great job! Also, the Checklist and Glossary provided to us was great. It had lots of NSF, AMI, AMIF, NAMI, NEMA references. I come from a laboratory background where being able to base your designs on guidelines is huge, and this [workshop] really helped."

Learning about hygienic design and refurbishment of conveyors will make the future better for our maintenance department and company as a whole."

Your presentation today on “Design for Sanitation and Maintenance” was excellent. It is a pleasure to know that we can have access to [CFS] Food Safety Specialists, that can support Scott in developing machines in compliance with the food safety standards. As you said, the simple and clean solution will always be more suitable for cleaning, therefore more food safety compliant, and at the same time be more efficient, easier to maintain, and longer-lasting equipment."

I believe one of our team’s biggest learnings from this 1.5 day CFS Hygienic Design and Food Safety Workshop is that hygienic design is not just a ‘mechanical thing’ or just and ‘engineering thing’. It involves mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing and assembly. All of these groups have an impact on our customers’ ability to properly clean a piece of equipment. Any one of the following elements, that these groups control, can either make the ability to appropriately clean a piece of equipment better or worse, including: physical design, component selection, part fabrication quality, supply line routings, and hardware selection."

The interactive and hands-on training [in the FoodSafe Conveyor Workshop] really helped clarify the training material for all of us. Our teams have benefited greatly by learning so much about proper belting techniques, maintenance, and care as well as all the do’s/don’ts associated with Intralox products. Learnings from this training will help us with the review of our current techniques and practices and also focus on future improvement."

The most impactful portion of the training for me was the personal stories of those affected by illness or death resulting from poor hygienic design and sanitation practices – this elevates the purpose of food safety to a very personal level. We, as maintenance professionals, have a duty to safeguard the public."

The Intralox training was very informative and educational, helping me understand how belting, rollers and drives should be installed. The enthusiasm the Intralox and CFS Team brought with them was passed on to our maintenance team – the entire group came out of the training with ideas and are ready to start making our system better. The way the Intralox and CFS Team explained that food safety is a team effort was an important message for our techs and sanitors to hear. I am encouraged that our maintenance and sanitation teams will be collaborating on conveyor projects going forward."

The CFS [Hygienic Design] Training was excellent! Theory was well-aligned with practice, including activities, case studies, and a game. It was a unique opportunity to gain knowledge on such a rich, yet still underexplored, topic. As specialists, we have the chance to make a difference!"

This [Hygienic Design Training] was a must-do step for me. As a company, we decided to take a more radical approach to the engineering and construction of food-grade machinery, and the CFS course allowed me to approach hygienic design from different points of view—not just that of an OEM. I now appreciate all aspects of a well-designed line, from the building to the process and the flow of materials."

I loved the training and its format. It placed us in real-life decision-making situations that truly made us reflect on what is best for the company—not just in the short term, but with a long-term perspective as well. Congratulations to CFS for delivering such a valuable training experience, rich in the exchange of experiences and, most importantly, in the sharing of diverse viewpoints. Even when opinions differ from our own, they are incredibly important and help broaden our understanding."

What to say about the training? Do it!!! Regardless of your area in the food industry, you will understand from start to finish. Thank you CFS team for the learning opportunity."

This CFS Training was an amazing experience, learned a lot during the hands-on workshops, and met a lot of wonderful people and industry leaders in the Food and Beverage space. Highly recommended!"

I recently attended the Hygienic Design Training with CFS, and it was an excellent experience. The content was highly practical and directly applicable, with valuable insights into both technical solutions and real-life scenarios. The trainers were knowledgeable and approachable, and the opportunity to exchange ideas with other participants was incredibly enriching. This training is a must for anyone involved in sanitation or equipment design – highly recommended!"

CFS is always bringing the challenges and challenging the status quo. I am always excited to bring these CFS learnings back to our teams, striving to make a greater impact, one day at a time! Thank you CFS, always great insights and discussions!”

A super opportunity to learn more about Hygienic Design! The [Hygienic Design] training caters to the current reality of food companies that seek excellence, and it demonstrates the importance of food security and its positive impact in all areas. A true learning experience with a lot very enriching discussions, knowledge and experience exchanges among the participants."

I had the privilege of attending the Hygienic Design Training hosted by CFS. The days were incredibly enriching! Despite the intense workload, time flew by thanks to the relevant and practical application of all content. This is a valuable learning experience not just for quality professionals but for anyone in the food industry responsible for decisions or execution, where food safety is essential. A huge thanks to the CFS trainers for their exceptional teaching and to all other participants who enriched the experience through valuable exchanges."

I had the opportunity to attend the CFS Training in New Orleans on Hygienic Design and cannot say enough about the instructors as well as the group of individuals I shared the classroom with! I highly recommend this course to anyone working in a hygienic environment!"

I started my career in 1998 as a temporary employee working as a sanitation technician. In 2014, I joined the CFS Sanitation Essentials Training. Today, 10 years later, as Director of Quality and Sanitation, I’m happy to schedule my subordinates for this same course in February 2025, ensuring they gain the valuable knowledge and skills that helped me advance, strengthening both our team and operations."

I have learned a lot from the experience at the onsite [Hygienic Design] Training and the digital modules. Everything I see, I look at very differently now, even outside of my company. Having my CFS Hygienic Design Certification has helped me make a lot of positive improvements to our plant. I really feel that anyone starting out or already in any type of a food processing/packaging company would really benefit from the training programs that CFS offers.”

Sincere thanks for the opportunity to do the Hygienic Design Certification. Every module had little moments where I dropped my head, wishing I’d learned the info 5/10/15 (dare I say 20) years ago. 20:20 vision hindsight aside, it been a very important opportunity that dovetails beautifully into what my business does….helping others. I’d also like to compliment CFS on how the course content is organised; the program and modules were very effective.”

The hygiene and sanitization training [Sanitation Essentials Training] provided by CFS is of a high level and affordable, as one would expect. The added value to this is the quality of its implementation: It is very well-structured, animated by various high-quality speakers, and involves multiple practical scenarios. Participants come out of these three days with additional skills and the satisfaction of having experienced a training full of expertise."

The [Hygienic Design] Training covered important and relevant topics that are applicable to any food industry segment. It's comprehensive! I am happy to have participated. It's not tiring; it is dynamic, and it exceeded my expectations.”

Thanks for the great [Hygienic Design Training] course, SSAF got a lot from the content and look forward to applying it in practice."

Incredible [Hygienic Design] Training! It brings zoning concepts and all the super important details to consider when building a factory. The application of the NAMI checklist brings insights and details that might not be seen without the tool. The infrastructure workshop brings awareness of what to do first and the importance of involving all areas in the choice of materials."

Training with updated technical content, examples of applications in the industry, optimizing day-to-day operations and projects, with the participation of excellent professionals. CFS Trainers, congratulations on organizing and conducting this [Hygienic Design Training] event. Thank you for the discussions and insights."

I definitely recommend this [Chocolate] training. I think it’s quite a unique course because it is aimed specifically at the chocolate industry, meaning you can go into great detail. All in all, a lot of great ideas to think about and take back to my team.”

Commercial Food Sanitation is a world-class organization that delivers amazing training for food manufacturing professionals. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sanitation Essentials Training. It was very impactful, and I’m looking forward to sharing my learnings across our enterprise.”

Congratulations on the [Hygienic Design] Training! Very competent instructors! Everything was impeccable. Theory and practice delivered with mastery. Loved it and recommend it to all food industry leaders."

Joining the (Spanish language) Sanitation Essentials Training served as a catalyst for a transformative journey in my awareness of sanitation issues. I now feel equipped with practical tools and strategies to address challenges in my work environment. The expert-led sessions not only expanded my knowledge, but also inspired in me a sense of responsibility to advocate for improved sanitation practices and bring about positive behavioral changes in myself personally and in my workplace. Connecting with experts and like-minded individuals during the training was an invaluable experience. The relationships established have opened doors to collaborations and partnerships for future initiatives."

CFS Sanitation Essentials Training was a great class! Gave me a lot of insight on what sanitation is all about and how critical this job can be. The team of trainers was amazing and I met a great group of professionals!"

Sanitation is an ever-changing industry and I repeat this course every 5 years or so. It is a valuable introductory course but also a great refresher for seasoned industry professionals! I’ve been a Sanitarian for 24 years, and the courses offered by CFS have been by far the most valuable trainings I’ve ever attended. There’s always more to learn: I’ll be back again, and I hope to see more courses and certifications offered by CFS in the future!"

The CFS Chocolate Training was a great course. Thank you to make it so practical. It gave me many new ideas and insights.”

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to participate in this Commercial Food Sanitation training. It was an enriching experience that will certainly contribute to my personal and professional growth. I thank everyone involved for sharing their knowledge and for making this journey so valuable. The cherry on the cake: our team received the award for best performance!"

Truly an incredible 3 days well spent at the Hygienic Design Training in Melbourne with CFS. A wealth of knowledge delivered through detailed expert delivery and interactive fun practical sessions. The group in the course offered for a great diversity of questions to the training team from a range of different departments and food industries, which were all answered by people who are truly Subject Matter Experts regarding Sanitation and Hygienic Design.”

I finished the Hygienic Design training of Commercial Food Sanitation. It was three days of total immersion in this subject so broad and complex; that is the application of sanitary design in the food industry. Gratitude to the CFS trainers for all the knowledge, tips and advice. You have made our journey so much more dynamic and interesting!"

Having been part of the first group in Brazil to receive this [Hygienic Design] training, I strongly recommend it. Even though I came in with a commercial perspective, the applied didactics were assertive, easy to understand and dynamic. This allowed us to have a broader view of Hygienic Design applicability in our projects that we did not have before. It was enriching both for the technical information as well as for giving us several ideas to implement improvements in our project acquisition processes."

It is a privilege for our company to be able to learn about hygienic design in such an active and fun way! This training added an ''outside the box'' view and a much more enlightened way of thinking about hygienic design. It is certain that good projects will come from here.”

Thank you to all the CFS trainers for the professional training, all the practical exercises, and course arrangements you have provided to the OSI Asia Pacific participating SME’s. I’ve received lots of positive feedback from our team members on the learnings they have gained through the dedicated Sanitation Essentials Training and Hygienic Design Training in Shanghai. The experience and knowledge they have secured will be of tremendous value in OSI’s endeavors to drive continuous improvements in Preventive Maintenance and Hygienic Design.”

I have gone through multiple training courses and seminars throughout my 15 year career, and I must say that I have never experienced one so well designed, balanced between theory and practice, dynamic, and hands-on like the Sanitation Essentials Training provided by CFS at their New Orleans facility. A great personal plus for me: the entire training was in Spanish!"

Hygienic Design Training (HDT): Thank you CFS for these three days of training and knowledge exchanges, it was an incredible and enriching experience."

I have had the opportunity to earn my CFS Advanced Certification by successfully completing all three in-person training sessions: Sanitation Essentials, Hygienic Design, and Advanced. This journey began when I was working at a food manufacturer and completed while employed in FSQA supply chain at a QSR. There is nowhere else to get such comprehensive and actionable information in one place from real-world industry experts. Companies should send their production, maintenance, sanitation and FSQA teams to these training sessions and then run, not walk, back to the facility and corporate offices to implement the learnings. The CFS team works on the development of critical thinking and risk assessment skills to institute best practices that prevent issues before they occur. You come away with the ability to stop firefighting and the drain on resources and talent this has on your team and actually get ahead of the curve and become more profitable as you can focus on safety, efficiency and running the plant. I’m all in on this program."

This Sanitation Essentials Training was so much more than “training” for me. It was obviously very educational. With most of my career being in production, it was eye opening to see, first hand and hands-on, the challenges that all sanitation departments and employees face each day. I found the training very thought provoking and will be using my learnings to create and implement ways for our production team to better support our sanitation team."

Today is a very good day: CFS Hygienic Design Training (HDT) course completed at Intralox facility in Amsterdam! Great experiences shared and gained, now it’s time to put it all to use going forward. The icing on the cake - we won as a The Golden Team! Massive thanks to the CFS Institute team."

Thank you to the CFS training team for realizing the dedicated OSI Hygienic Design Training (HDT) and Sanitation Essentials Training (SET) during such hard times (due to COVID limitations in China). At OSI, we’re proud that the entire training package (SET and HDT) has been accomplished for all our China plants’ SMEs. I believe the knowledge conveyed will provide all participants with significant help in their daily work and benefit OSI plants. Looking forward to completing the training sessions for other Asia Pacific facilities in the near future.”

The CFS Sanitation Essentials Training was one of the best I’ve been to, and I am recommending we send more of our team."

The CFS team did a really great job delivering the training; made it very exciting, fun and an experience never to forget. It was amazing to meet and share knowledge with others from around the globe. Sanitation Essentials Training has really got me thinking about different ways to validate and verify our cleaning using a variety of techniques and swabbing tools. So, amongst all other learnings, I will be implementing this very soon."

I just wanted to say thank you for the [Sanitation Essentials] Training. I went on your web site and pulled some useful documents. I have started the 7 steps of cleaning with my team here. We’re improving our program to make it better; not just in document recording but also in people training. We are revamping our SSOP program to bring it more up to date with the changing times. Thanks again to the team."

Learnt so much! A really valuable training course. With some very special people; I am still smiling when I think about the final presentations. Thank you."

We all have some knowledge on hygienic designs. In my past, I was more focused on the design of equipment, but I still enriched this skill thanks to tools shared and also hands-on activities, expert experiences and real case examples shared between participants. [In the CFS Hygienic Design Training,] we applied these tools in a hands-on manner to real equipment and highlighted the improvements of the design with their evolution. This will help me with the review of different designs, the development of plant requirements/standards and FAT completion. It will benefit my ongoing projects by making sure that contractors follow proper design in building and installation of process equipment. Sharing experiences with other participants was also particularly constructive all along the training. The training also covers design of building including material choices and the study of flow paths in the overall plant. This will help me lead projects with a better focus on hygienic design and therefor will profit Lactalis in the long run. The importance of the involvement of the different stakeholders (Sanitation, Production, Quality, Safety, Maintenance, etc.) in modifications and new installations were highlighted by the trainers and in the group activities. For these reasons this training matches completely my activities and fits Lactalis goals. I will share this knowledge with our team."

I loved the [Sanitation Essentials] Training! Such a valuable course. I would 10/10 make it a pre-requisite for any newly hired sanitation management personnel within their first 4 months of employment."

[A Dedicated Sanitation Essentials Training is a] Fantastic opportunity for people to deep dive into different sanitation practices. This training is a full on workshop where the participants get to see the real life challenges of allergen cleaning and explore wet and dry cleaning methodologies. By taking part in the cleaning activities, it challenges the participants understanding and motivates them to turn sanitation activities into structured improvement opportunities with a safety mindset."

This Sanitation Essential Training is definitely one of the most valuable trainings for me. It went from the theoretical concepts to a practical workshop, enabled us to verify the assumptions and methodologies, extremely interesting experience."

I really enjoyed the [Dedicated Sanitation Essentials] training. The process reminded me of when I started plant work 30 years ago. Back then I was only passively doing the cleaning work. The pragmatic CFS training enabled us to truly appreciate the importance of, and how to achieve an effective clean. This training will certainly be of great help to my food factory sanitation management. I will share what I learned with the plant management team shortly, to start change, enhance understanding and then implement the right actions. I am looking forward to your other training courses and plant support from the CFS team, thanks again!"

I had an amazing experience with the training program. Everyone on your staff were extremely helpful in every way. Please send my thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and made us feel very welcome."

Sanitation Essentials Training attended: 3 days of intense and challenging experience but with a fabulous training team and a great group to share and enjoy! Great time…"

Excellent trainers, hands-on knowledge, interactive workshops, interesting topics, what can you ask more? A must-have training, when it comes to Hygienic Design!"

Your seminar was probably the best one I ever went to and I am still using the materials for continuous improvements in our sanitation world here."

Joining the Hygienic Design Training with some of my colleagues from UVM and Cornell University, we all come from a background in educating the produce industry. We were really blown away by the training we received and are sharing learnings in a number of ways. I specifically enjoyed learning about specific equipment design elements that make equipment and facilities easy to clean. Taking a look at utilities with a close eye was new to me and was very interesting. Thank you for expanding our knowledge on this topic, it helped really spark ideas about how we can reduce risks and promote safe food in the produce industry."

Thank you for all your efforts in the organization and managing of training. I think it was the best training course I’ve ever done. Please extend my congratulations to every member of CFS involved in the training."

COVID precautions taken [at the CFS Training] were very satisfactory; lunch boxes, spaced tables, wipes and sanitizer at every table kept everything from continuous touching and contaminating."

It was a pleasure to meet you all and hopefully I will see you again next year at the Hygienic Design Training…..to win the next trophy. Once a trophy hunter, always a trophy hunter."

The hands-on Wet and Dry cleaning workshops were fantastic to support the learning and networking experience. Having several Food Industry ‘Veterans’ in the room maximizes this learning."

Thank you for the training, I definitely have a different perspective from the maintenance side of things. I learned that not only sanitation but everyone has a responsibility to do it the right way in every aspect."

Prior to traveling to New Orleans for Sanitation Essentials Training (June 2021), CFS issued an update per CDC guidelines on COVID protocols. It included clear instructions for vaccinated and non-vaccinated participants and specific guidelines to follow. While on campus is was a pleasure to see so many smiling faces and it gave everyone a safe sense of life going back to 'normal'."

One of the best training/workshops I have received. If you are in the food safety business this one is for you! #HygienicDesignTraining"

The Hygienic Design Training was a really good experience. Thanks to my fellow participants for the shared knowledge and many thanks to the CFS Team for the well-prepared training."

We definitely appreciate the assistance and continuous learnings, we received from our CFS partners, during the assessment in our bakery as well as during my training in New Orleans. In my opinion, CFS provides the best training in the world; for hygiene programs, for food manufacturing. I personally appreciate it! We are looking forward to continuously working and improving with the CFS methodology. Thanks again!"

Recommend this training, really informative. Superb presentations and practical workshops!! Thank you for a great couple of days!"

Nicely separated topics. I came away with distinct learnings from each workshop, and I also came away with an understanding/path of how I can influence hygienic design in our facility. Great job!"

I had such a great experience and thought your knowledge and training was phenomenal. It would be great to keep in touch and to have a great resource, like Commercial Food Sanitation, in this industry."

There are other notes that I will take away from the training session, but SSOP development and implementation is the main one I’m planning to implement across our seven plants. Overall, this training was one of my favorites. I am a hands-on learner. I liked how there was classroom sessions prior to getting out and actually applying what we learned in the classroom previous to the breakout sessions, thank-you!"

Thank you again for the wonderful course that you and your team have put together; I am taking away a lot from it and have already recommended sending more key people from FreshPoint."

Overall this [Hygienic Design] Training was a mind changer. I am going home with a different vision…. Thank you."

These days at Hygienic Design Training have been unforgettable, amazing and fun. We’ve learned many useful “Great Ideas” that soon will improve our facilities and make us better cheese-makers."

I really enjoyed the [Dedicated Sanitation Essentials] training. The process reminded me of when I started plant work 30 years ago. Back then I was only passively doing the cleaning work. The pragmatic CFS training enabled us to truly appreciate the importance of, and how to achieve an effective clean. This training will certainly be of great help to my food factory sanitation management. I will share what I learned with the plant management team shortly, to start change, enhance understanding and then implement the right actions. I am looking forward to your other training courses and plant support from the CFS team, thanks again!"

Thank you so much. I enjoyed the training and working with your team. I have 15 years of experience in Sanitation so none of this was really “new” to me, however, we all get a little complacent over time and sometimes lose sight of the big picture. This training was great for bringing things back to the front of my mind and refreshing my perspective on effective sanitation!"

It was a pleasure meeting you and attending the Sanitation Essentials Training last week. I found the courses to be very beneficial and I have taken a lot of good things back for our plant."

My colleagues and I gained helpful insights and solutions to assist with our preventive programs and techniques. I was impressed with the hands on sessions and your team’s professionalism and knowledge in both wet and dry environments."

That was a wonderful 2½ day training. Very well organized, detailed, very comprehensive field applications, networking with partner/supplier companies for the future, just perfect."

Fantastic way to deliver content! Amazing to experience near real-world challenges and constraints at this Hygienic Design Training."

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the presentations and breakout sessions. I also believe there is a lot of value in the team competition as it allows companies to interact and share best practices in sanitation programs. As an industry we all need to work together, evaluate and share information for continuous improvement."

The training was stellar, and being a relative newbie to the industry, it was a bit daunting at first. But, the instructors were great in explaining things and the people in the class were outstanding in dragging me along as I asked a million questions. My boss seems rather pleased with what I learned and he is looking at getting more of my colleagues into this class. I appreciate your efforts in putting on this great training!"

Our Sanitation and QA Leaders, along with our facility Plant Managers from our world headquarters and from twenty‐one (21) US and Canada facilities have participated in, and learned a great deal from, the sanitation, hygienic design, and sanitation leadership courses provided by CFS."

Thank you for the great organization. It was really good experience for me to join this training program."

The Sanitation Essentials Training in Amsterdam has been a very valuable training session for me. Experienced trainers run a good mix of theory and practical, hands-on sessions around all sanitation related aspects, in a professional and fun format. I enjoyed the social networking and experience exchanges with peers across countries and industries. This Sanitation Essentials Training is highly recommendable."

This Sanitation Essential Training is definitely one of the most valuable trainings for me. It went from the theoretical concepts to a practical workshop, enabled us to verify the assumptions and methodologies, extremely interesting experience."