Missouri's Cooperative Agreement to Enhance Produce Safety

Project Abstract/Summary Missouri Department of AgricultureFunding Opportunity Announcement PAR-16-137The Missouri Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the promotion and protection ofthe state's agriculture industry. A recent MDA and Missouri Farm Bureau-fundedeconomic impact study determined that agriculture is the state?s number one industrywith more than 88 billion dollars of annual economic impact. With nearly 100,000 farmson more than 28 million acres of farmland, the agency works to connect farmers withconsumers. Establishing a Produce Safety Program which is compliant with therequirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is complementary to theDepartment's mission 'To serve, promote, and protect the agricultural producers,processors, and consumers of Missouri's food, fuel, and fiber products.' As a result, it isour intention to oversee both outreach and enforcement activities with the funding that isavailable under Competitions A and B.During the first year, the Department will evaluate existing statutes and regulations todetermine what authority has already been granted to the agency and what changesneed to be made to allow inspections of produce farms to occur. This is a critical firststep. At the same time, an inventory of farms will be conducted to determine whatproducers are subject to the Produce Safety rule. This will be based in large part on asurvey of specialty crop producers that will be conducted during the summer of 2017.Methods for capturing the information needed to build an effective farm inventory will bethoroughly considered so that it can be gathered, maintained, and shared in a mannerwhich supports an integrated food safety system.As the size of the regulated community is assessed, the department will hire essentialpersonnel and conduct a self-assessment to determine what resources are availableand which are needed to build the state Produce Safety Program. This will be athorough review including aspects such as facilities, staff, equipment, and finances.Throughout the grant period, the department will partner with Extension at the Universityof Missouri and Lincoln University to provide training to producers. This outreach willrely on seasoned educators and be offered to as many farmers as possible with anemphasis on reaching producers who are covered by the FSMA Produce Safety rule.This will allow us to 1) educate before we regulate, 2) achieve greater compliance withthe rule, and 3) minimize the risk of food borne illness no matter who grows theproduce.Finally, the department will design and evaluate a compliance program to regulategrowers who are covered by the Produce Safety rule. This will be done building uponother regulatory programs within the agency and in partnership with FDA. In the finalphase of the grant, we will develop a strategy that will allow the Produce SafetyProgram to be a sustainable effort with the long-term goal of reducing consumers? riskof developing a food borne illness from contaminated produce.