Tribal Food Safety Alliance - Native American Tribes Outreach, Education, and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FSMA

Project Summary/Abstract
Through this project, the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) at the University of
Arkansas, the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC), and the Federally Recognized Tribes
Extension Program (FRTEP) at the University of Arizona will establish the nation’s first Tribal
Food Safety Alliance (NFSA). Together, these three organizations will address the unique,
specialized needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) food producers and food
businesses, providing training and education on food safety and ensuring that Indian Country has
access to a reliable bench of culturally competent trainers with food safety expertise and a
thorough understanding of the way that the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules will
impact their operations. Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), the Alliance proposes to achieve the following primary objectives:
1) provide training, education, and outreach to Indian Country stakeholders on rules promulgated
by FDA pursuant to FSMA, with a particular focus on the Produce Safety Rule, Preventative
Control for Human Food Rule, Preventative Controls for Animal Food Rule, and Sanitary
Transportation of Human & Animal Food Rule;
2) identify gaps in training for this stakeholder audience and create comprehensive curriculum
and regulatory guides to fill those gaps; and
3) facilitate the identification of culturally sensitive technical assistance providers and build a
bench of competent food safety trainers for Indian Country.
The creation of this Native Food Safety Alliance will help FDA build towards a nationally
integrated food safety system, but in a way that makes certain that cultural practices around food
and principles of indigenous food science are accounted for and respected in training and
implementation.