April 27, 2017

By Skylar Schneider, Executive Assistant

Contact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600
cmatzen@nfudc.org

This week the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $4.8 million in available funding through the Food Safety Outreach Program. Per NIFA, the purpose of this funding is to “develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance projects.” The Food Safety Outreach Program provides funding for training and education to producers affected by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Over the past two years, NIFA has invested more than $7.1 million through the Food Safety Outreach Program, which has benefited small farms across the country. Examples of previously funded projects include: practical tools for food safety on small diversified fruit and vegetable farms; aiding veterans in agriculture to understand food safety – with an emphasis on veterans with disabilities; and empowering small on-farm and limited-resource processors with custom FSMA training.

NIFA funding is distributed at the following three levels, due to the differences in size and capabilities of applicants:

  • Pilot Projects, which support highly customized food safety and outreach programs for hard-to-reach or niche audiences in local communities;
  • Community Outreach Projects, which allow for the growth and expansion of existing food safety education and outreach programs; and
  • Multistate Education and Training Projects, which support collaborations among counties and states with similar goals, audiences or commodities.

To see examples of 2016 awardees click here. If you are interested in applying for this funding, see the request for application details. The application deadline is June 6.