Learn to Implement Effective Sensory Evaluation Methods in Manufacturing

Sensory Quality Training: Designing or Optimizing a Sensory QC Program 

September 2nd - 3rd, 2026, LIVE!
Location:
222 Oak Avenue
Kannapolis, NC 28081

A strong sensory quality control program can help you catch issues earlier, protect product consistency, support faster decisions, and build greater confidence across production, quality, and technical teams. This live course is designed for professionals who need to build a new sensory QC program, strengthen an existing one, or make their current process more effective and actionable.

Across two days, participants will explore practical sensory methods used in quality control and assurance, with a focus on how to select the right approach for different business needs. The course covers evaluation across the production and distribution environment, including raw materials, in-process production, finished product, and post-distribution assessment. Participants will also examine the key elements of an effective program, discuss common implementation challenges, and work through real-world applications in a collaborative setting.


The legacy course materials emphasize program design, sensory QC methods, stakeholder influence, and real-world examples spanning incoming materials through post-distribution, as well as workshops in in/out methods, difference-from-control, attribute descriptive methods, quality ratings, statistics, and shelf life.
This course is especially valuable for QC/QA and sensory professionals responsible for implementing or managing in-plant sensory programs, as well as plant management, sensory coordinators, and quality professionals who rely on sensory data to support product and process decisions.

Why Attend?

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to design or refine a sensory QC program that is practical, defensible, and aligned with real manufacturing and quality needs. Whether you are creating a program from the ground up or improving one that already exists, this course will help you make better use of sensory tools, strengthen decision making, and address challenges with greater confidence.
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learning objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain the role of sensory quality control within a broader quality program.
  • Identify the key elements required to design or optimize an effective sensory QC program.
  • Compare common sensory QC methods, including in/out, difference-from-control, attribute descriptive, and quality rating approaches, and determine when each is most appropriate.
  • Select sensory methods appropriate for evaluating raw materials, in-process production, finished products, and post-distribution quality.
  • Interpret sensory QC results and use them to support practical quality and business decisions.
  • Recognize common challenges in implementing and maintaining sensory quality programs and propose strategies to address them.
  • Apply basic statistical and shelf-life considerations to sensory quality decision-making.
  • Communicate sensory QC needs and findings more effectively to internal stakeholders.
Get to know us

Instructors

Bob Baron
President of Sensory Spectrum, Inc.
Bob is an accomplished leader in the fields of innovation, product development, sensory and consumer insights. He is able to drive business growth and increase consumer engagement through the combination of expertise in Sensory Evaluation, Consumer Insight, Product Development, Innovation, and Quality.
Lee Stapleton
Senior Director of Training and Education
Lee utilizes her 25+ years of sensory science experience as a senior trainer for descriptive analysis & quality, a product focused creative facilitator, a strategic consultant, and an expert evaluator across a wide range of products and ingredients consumers eat, drink, smell, apply, use, and wear.

Course Agenda (Coming Soon)

Wednesday, September 2nd


Thursday, September 3rd