USDA NIFA Invests $10M for Food Safety Outreach, Training and Education
US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced an investment of $10 million for 21 grants to develop and implement food safety and Food Safety Modernization Act-related training, education, extension outreach and technical assistance for food processors and farmers with small to mid-size operations.
Awards are made under three categories: Multistate Education and Training Projects, Community Outreach Projects and Collaborative Engagement Supplements. In FY 2021, NIFA made 13 Collaborative Education and Training Project awards, four Community Outreach Project awards and four Regional Center awards.
Projects funded in USDA NIFA (EPSCoR) jurisdictions include:
- Engaging Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Grower Educational Needs for Safe Fruit & Vegetable Production in HI & CA, University of Hawaii (S.A. Wages, PI)
- Collaborative Food Safety Education and Training for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Farmers in the Pacific Northwest, University of Idaho (D. Ryu, PI)
- Jumpstart to Farm Food Safety – Farm Food Safety Planning for Small and Medium-sized Farms, University of Maine (R. Machado, PI)
- Growing the Culture, Collaboration, and Capacity of Farmer to Farmer Food Safety Trainings, La Semilla Food Center (New Mexico), (C. Dominguez, PI)
- ITIPS: Interactive Tools to Improve the Practice of Food Safety, New Mexico State University (N. Flores, PI)
- Increasing Accessibility of Food Safety Resources for Farmers and Small Food Processors in Northwest New Mexico, San Juan College (L. Reyes, PI)
- Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS), University of Vermont (E.J. Newbold, PI)