Project Grant 20247002042957

This federal Project Grant award provides $759,993 from the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) Food Safety Outreach Program (CFDA 10.328) to the University of Vermont & State Agricultural College for the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS). The grant will support NECAFS in continuing its regional efforts to provide food safety training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance to small and mid-sized produce farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, and small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers in the Northeast region. Key activities include building regional trainer capacity and competency, developing supplemental educational materials, delivering training events, evaluating performance, and sustaining the established NECAFS network to increase understanding and adoption of food safety standards and protocols affected by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The award period is from Sept 1, 2024 to Aug 31, 2027.

Under this grant, the University of Vermont is the prime recipient, and Cornell University, University of Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania State University are serving as sub-grantees to support various aspects of the NECAFS program activities across the Northeast region.