Cooperative Agreement for Research, Education, and Outreach in Support of the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act

The National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) is a food safety and applied nutrition research consortium of the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA/CFSAN), the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), and the food industry. NCFST is the coordinator of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) and the Sprouts Safety Alliance (SSA), leveraging the expertise of academia, industry, and FDA for the purpose of developing standardized curricula related to FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements. These Alliances are key integral parts of the FDA's FSMA implementation strategies. This collaborative grant is specifically for assisting the FDA in achieving the FSMA Implementation Strategies. <p>The project activities include:</p><p><ol><li>Support the FSPCA to finalize the core curriculum, develop and deliver train-the-trainer programs and online training modules</li><li>Provide administrative support to the Intentional Adulteration (IA) core curriculum development</li><li>Develop core curriculum on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP)</li><li>Establish a National Technical Assistance Network portal on preventive controls for human and animal food to help the small and medium-sized food and animal food companies in FSMA compliance</li><li>Support Animal Food Alliance Subcommittee face-to-face meetings and Technical Assistance Network</li><li>Support the Sprout Safety Alliance (SSA) to finalize the training curriculum, develop the train-the-trainer programs and online modules</li></ol></p><p> NCFST continues to provide the FDA authoritative data that helps inform science-based policymaking and guideline development to advance public health objectives, as well as assisting the FDA in FSMA implementation. </p>