The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is investing $14 million to support food safety research, outreach and workforce training. The investment will fund research and efforts to strengthen the safety of our nation’s food supply.  

“Ensuring that all Americans have consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being is a cornerstone priority of the USDA,” said USDA NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra. 

“From research to education and training, the projects funded through these initiatives will work to reduce the risk of food contamination, develop food processing technologies, better equip small farmers for success and much more.”

NIFA is investing $4.5 million to support research under its Food Safety and Defense Program, which funds basic and applied research projects aimed at reducing food contamination risks by developing methods and procedures to identify, detect, enumerate, reduce and/or mitigate pathogens, allergens, physical hazards or heavy metals in foods. 

The program also funds projects that develop and validate innovative technologies for food processing, manufacturing, packaging, cleaning and sanitation to reduce the presence of pathogens in food and processing facilities.  

Among the funded projects, Emory University in Georgia will work to improve produce testing. Laboratory tests for produce can detect virus pieces on produce but cannot tell if the virus pieces are infectious and will make consumers sick. The project will develop i...