Although traditionally thought of as stable from a microbiological point of view, dried foods can still be contaminated and act as a reservoir for pathogens or spoilage organisms, which could grow following incorporation into other food formulations. As such, their quality needs to be controlled as carefully as any ‘wet’ food or drink product. This means applying the full range of good manufacturing practice during their production. And it is not just microbial contamination that has to be considered; non-microbial issues such as acrylamide and allergens also have to be taken into account. The first of its kind to combine processing and production technologies with microbiological and hygiene challenges, this conference will focus on:– Survival of hazards in the dry food production environment – Pathogen reduction technologies – Thermal processing and validation – Control methods in the production of dried foods – Environmental routes and control of contamination – An opportunity to ‘meet the makers’, with technology overviews and displays from major processing manufacturers