Source: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS submitted to NRP
BRIDGING KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN FOOD QUALITY ASSURANCE TO STRENGTHEN THE FOUNDATION FOR FOOD SAFETY TRAINING.
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1017188
Grant No.
2018-70020-28861
Cumulative Award Amt.
$74,914.00
Proposal No.
2018-05226
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2018
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2021
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[A4182]- Regional FSMA Center
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
Food Science and Technology
Non Technical Summary
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is a comprehensive reform of food safety laws by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One part of FSMA is the Preventive Controls for Human Food rule, which is meant to ensure the safe manufacturing, processing, packing, and holding of food products for human consumption in the United States. The compliance dates are already effective for large and small food processors, and the implementation time for very small processors is approaching (September 2018). Given the complexity associated with getting all processors in compliance with this new regulation by September 2018, extended compliance dates are offered to certain processing facilities, such as facilities solely engaged in packing and/or holding of produce RACs (raw agricultural commodities).Developing and implementing the required Food Safety Plans can be challenging, especially for small and very small processors and for processors that historically have been subject to limited oversight, such as fruit and vegetable processers. Many of these processors have restrictedresources, and their knowledge about food quality and safety systems may be limited. Their lack of knowledge about the overall food quality assurance system may hamper the development and implementation of the required Food Safety Plans. The goal of this proposal is to bridge the knowledge gaps in food quality assurance and its connection to food safety that may hinder small and very small processors from successful development and implementation of robust Food Safety Plans. To achieve this goal, we will:Develop a series of four webinars covering basic concepts, techniques, and programs in quality assurance and quality control;Engage stakeholders and advertise and deliver these webinars during a 1-year project period;Evaluate training outcomes by analyzing data collected through beforeand after-training assessments.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
71224101100100%
Knowledge Area
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins;

Subject Of Investigation
2410 - Cross-commodity research--multiple crops;

Field Of Science
1100 - Bacteriology;
Goals / Objectives
Thelong-term goalof this proposal is to ensure the efficient implementation and sustainable development of Food Safety Plans developed in compliance with the Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation.Thehypothesisof this proposalis that strengthening understanding of quality assurance systems and the connection to food safety will enhance the development of robust Food Safety Plans that are relevant to employees at all management and processing levels and that are supported with the appropriate infrastructure needed to ensure their implementation and development.To achieve the long-term goal, this pilot project hasthree supporting objectives:Develop a series of four webinars covering basic concepts, techniques, and programs in quality assurance and quality control;Engage stakeholders, advertise, and deliver these webinars during a 1-year project period;Evaluate the training outcomes by analyzing data collected through beforeand after training assessments.
Project Methods
Several food quality assurance and food microbiology and safety texts will be used as the foundation for preparing PowerPoint presentations for these webinars.Extension and outreach materials that have already been developed by this team and other peer-reviewed publications will also be used for the preparation of the webinars.A Zoom license is available through the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) to Cooperative Extension Specialists. Zoom webinar functions include audio, video, screen-sharing (for Powerpoint slides, videos, etc), attendee Q&A section, and attendee chat panel. The host also has the ability to "unmute" participants who have used the "raise hand" function to allow for verbal questions to be posed.This format will allow for the instructors to utilize Powerpoint presentations and customized video clips for course delivery. The Q&A and chat panel will be monitored throughout the presentation for participant questions for addressing in real-time. The "raise hand" function will be utilized at the end of the webinar to address additional questions from participants. The Zoom "polling feature" allows the host to pose multiple choice questions to participants (up to 25) during a webinar. This tool will be used to determine participant baseline knowledge using a pre-test and then following course content delivery to determine knowledge gained. The participant responses can be downloaded in a report following the conclusion of the webinar. In addition, an "End of Meeting Feedback Survey" is a tool that can be utilized in Zoom to gauge participants overall review of the webinar. This information can be analyzed for ways to improve general webinar delivery.To enhance teaching efficiency and improve learning outcomes, short videos (2-3 minute) will be developed for webinars 2 to 4. These videos will demonstrate a key activity or technique relevant to the webinar topic. The video accompanying the Quality Control webinar will focus on monitoring process controls. The video for the Microbiological Standards webinar will show raw product sampling and testing and demonstrate how to evaluate a Certificate of Analysis. The Environmental Monitoring webinar will have a video showing environmental sampling in the food processing plant. The project team will work to develop a script for each video. The Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) at UC Davis will produce, shoot, and edit the videos.All videos will be narrated and closed captioned to meet 508 compliance standards. All videos will be developed in English, but will be designed so that translating them will be easy to do if additional funding becomes available in the future.

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The goal of the project was to assist small and very small food business with limited financial resources and inexperienced staff in understanding QA, QC, and the intersection with the FSMA PC Rule requirements. A total of 86 people registered for the webinar series offered once in 2019 and again in 2020. The same materials were also presented to 61 undergraduate students in 2020. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic halted plans for utilizing campus facilities for recording voice-over presentations and videos. This caused significant delays reflected in two no-cost extensions for this project. We were not able to produce nor expend the budget for the video clips that were intended to support the PowerPoint presentations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The video recordings as well as the PowerPoint slides produced with imbedded script were posted to a YouTube channel and links were posted at ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu and to the Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse (uvm.edu/extension/necafs/clearhouse/home). Updates and results were presented at two meetings: DiCaprio, E. Bridging knowledge gaps in food quality assurance to strengthen the foundation for food safety training. Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety 5th Annual Meeting, May 5, 2021, Virtual via Zoom. DiCaprio, E. Bridging knowledge gaps in food quality assurance to strengthen the foundation for food safety training. National Food Safety Outreach Program Roundtable Webinar, December 16, 2019, Virtual via Zoom. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A series of four webinars covering: 1. Introduction to quality assurance and quality control; 2. Quality Control; 3. Microbiological Standards; and 4. Environmental Monitoring were developed and delivered two times to a food industry audience. Two of the four presentations were delivered in an undergraduate course on quality assurance. Retrospective pre- and post-test questionnaires were developed for each webinar and administered to participants via Qualtrics following attendance to determine learning outcomes. All participants reported an improvement in their understanding of key concepts after each webinar compared to before the webinar in all aspects presented. Similar learning outcomes were observed in the undergraduate student cohort. Scripts were developed and the presentations were recorded. The video recordings as well as the PowerPoint slides with imbedded script were posted to a YouTube channel and links were posted at ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu and to the Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse (uvm.edu/extension/necafs/clearhouse/home).

Publications


    Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The goal of the project was to assist small and very small food business with limited financial resources and inexperienced staff in understanding QA, QC, and the intersection with the FSMA PC Rule requirements. During the reporting period we had over 70 individuals register for the webinar series offered in February and March 2020. Changes/Problems:The final deliverable for this project is the recording of presentations and the production of supplementary videos for distribution via online platforms. The COVID-19 pandemic made campus resources for recording and captioning unavailable beginning in early March. Therefore, the final objective has not been completed for this project. We anticipate restrictions on use of these campus facilities to remain in place for the remainder of 2020. In order to complete the final project deliverable, an additional 1-year no-cost extension has been requested. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The COVID-19 pandemic halted plans for utilizing campus facilities for recording voice-over presentations and videos. In the next reporting period this final objective will be completed. Materials will be made available on the UC Food Safety website (ucfoodsafety.edu) and the Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse (uvm.edu/extension/necafs/clearhouse/home).

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? A series of four webinars covering basic concepts, techniques, and programs in quality assurance and quality control.This goal was accomplished and the webinars were modified and delivered in live webinars in February and March 2020. Additionally, retrospective pre- and post-test questionnaires were developed for each webinar and administered to participants via Qualtrics following attendance to webinars to determine learning outcomes. All participants reported an improvement in their understanding of key concepts after the webinar compared to before the webinar in all aspects presented. Additionally, the PowerPoint presentations were used to deliver lectures to students enrolled in a UC Davis senior undergraduate course (FST 109 Food Quality Assurance) offered in spring 2020. Similar learning outcomes were observed in the undergraduate student cohort.

    Publications


      Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

      Outputs
      Target Audience:The goal of the project was to assist small and very small food business with limited financial resources and inexperienced staff in understanding QA, QC, and the intersection with the FSMA PC Rule requirements. During the reporting period we reached a very small number of food industry members and most of them were not from small or very small business. We have formulated a strategy to increase participation by the target audience for the second offering of the webinars in early 2020. Changes/Problems:The major challenge to date was the low enrollment (<10 participants) for each of the webinars held in June/July 2019. The small number of participants and even smaller number willing to contribute to the evaluation tool made it challenging to achieve one of our goals. We have opened registration for the webinars scheduled in February/March 2020 and have begun to work with our contacts at the California Alliance for Family Farms, California Certified Organic Farmers, the California League of Food Processors and our internal list of extension course participants. We also plan to share the information with the four regional training centers as well as our local food inspection agency (California Department of Public Health). We are reasonably confident that a broader push to attract attendees will be successful. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Based on feedback received from the webinar participants we have made some targeted revisions to the four PowerPoint presentations. We are currently working on developing a narrative in the "notes" section of the slides and will deliver a second offering of each webinar in early 2020. Following live delivery of webinars, recordings of the webinars will be made publically available via the UC Food Safety website (https://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/) and the Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse (https://www.uvm.edu/extension/necafs/clearinghouse/home).

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? One of the major goals of the project was to develop a series of four webinars covering basic concepts, techniques, and programs in quality assurance and quality control. This goal was accomplished and the webinars were offered in June/July 2019. Additionally, evaluation retrospective pre- and post-test questionnaires were developed for each webinar and administered to participants via Qualtrics survey following attendance to webinars.

      Publications