Apr 18, 2016

USDA funds food safety programs for small farms

USDA has made $4.7 million available in grants for food safety education, training, and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers, small processors, small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers, food hubs, farmers’ markets, and others.

The grants, offered through the Food Safety Outreach Program and administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), are designed to help these stakeholders comply with new food safety guidelines established by the FDA under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

In fiscal year 2015, NIFA and the FDA funded an infrastructure of National and Regional Centers to extend food safety education, training, and technical assistance to specific audiences affected by new guidelines established under the FSMA. In fiscal year 2016, the Food Safety Outreach Program at NIFA will build upon this established national infrastructure by focusing on the delivery of customized training.

This year, NIFA will fund three types of projects to help producers comply with FSMA:

• Pilot projects will support the development and implementation of new and potentially high-risk, high-impact food safety education and outreach programs in local communities that address the needs of small, specialized audiences from among the various target groups.
• Community outreach projects will focus on the growth and expansion of already-existing food safety education and outreach programs that are currently offered in local communities.
• Multi-state education and training projects will support the development and implementation of multi-county, state-wide, or multi-state food safety education and outreach programs where there are common food safety concerns, but the states are not necessarily located within the same regions.

A webinar for potential applicants is scheduled for April 19, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. EST. Applications are due June 2. See the request for applications on the NIFA website for more information.