Non Technical Summary
The Corporation for Community and Economic Development United, Inc. (CCEDU) proposes to establish an Institute for Food Safety Education and Training (the Institute) to support the development of food safety education and outreach programs in North and Central Florida as well as South Georgia. The Institute will be a Community Outreach Project that expands the existing food safety education programs that address the needs of small, specialized audiences with focus on producers of color and women farmers. The Institute will focus on assisting and building the capacity of the above referenced population to implement appropriately customized food safety education and outreach programs to meet those specific needs of food safety. The Institute programs will be led by an Expert Team of Senior Trainers who have a demonstrated record of providing food safety training to over 300 restaurant owners and youth in the hospitality industry over the last five years. In addition, Dr. McGill who will serve as the Project Director is certified by the Hotel and Restaurant Association to teach SafeServ and food safety. The Institute proposes to develop, implement, and expand food safety education for over 500 nontraditional audiences to include socially disadvantaged farmers, beginning farmers, women farmers, producers of color, small processors, veterans, ranchers, and youth.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
502	0001	1010	100%

Knowledge Area
502 - New and Improved Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
0001 - Administration;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Goals / Objectives
1) convene a Project Advisory Council (PAC) which is a working group of partners to discuss the goals of the Institute and make suggestions on the input on the project activities; 2) conduct a needs assessment (What training services or programs currently exist and what gaps are there in the current services or programs?); 3) review the proposed work plan and timeline to guide program implementation and to ensure that all tasks and program activities are completed as scheduled for success; 4) develop culturally appropriate brochures, posters, and public service announcements (PSAs) in selected languages to recruit the specific audiences; 5) conduct outreach community events to recruit participants in an effort to increase their participation in the training and outreach programs; 6) train Social Disadvantaged farmers as peer-to-peer mentors for food safety education; 7) conduct an on-the-farm demonstration event and for the purpose of training on food safety in the workplace; 8) build a collaborative relationship with the UF/IFAS and FAMU 1890 programs for compliant training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance as it relates to the produce industry; and 9) develop an evaluation plan and evaluation instruments/tools to capturethe necessary information about changes in attitudes, knowledge, and behavior of the socially disadvantaged farmers, beginning farmers, small processors, veterans, and ranchers.

Project Methods
The Institute will use a systematic approach to implement an appropriately customized food safety education and outreach training program in the targeted counties. The Institute will develop, implement, and expand food safety education for nontraditional audiences to include socially disadvantaged farmers, beginning farmers, small processors, veterans, ranchers, and youth. The Institute will use the Cornell University Produce Safety Alliance Curriculum (PSA) with modifications for the project. The PSA was established to help prepare fresh produce growers to meet the regulatory requirements included in the United States Food and Drug Administration's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. The curriculum is designed to meet grower needs. Modules 1 through 6 align with sections outlined in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Module seven is focused on helping growers develop a written farm food safety plan. Even though a farmfood safety plan is not required in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, it is included in the curriculum because growers expressed a need for a plan in focus groups and as part of the Working Committees. Many growers need a written farm food safety plan to meet buyer demands for a third-party audit to verify produce safety practices are in place. The Module curriculum is designed to meet grower needs. Modules 1 through 6 align with sections outlined in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Module seven is focused on helping growers develop a written farm food safety plan. Even though a farm food safety plan is not required in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, it is included in the curriculum because growers expressed a need for a plan in focus groups and as part of the Working Committees. Many growers need a written farm food safety plan to meet buyer demands for a third-party audit to verify produce safety practices are in place. The modules include Module 1:Introduction to Produce Safety Module 2: Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training Module 3: Soil Amendments, Module 4: Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use, Module 5: Part 1: Production Water; Part 2: Postharvest Water, Module 6: Postharvest Handling and Sanitation, and Module 7: How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan. The delivery of the food safety training and outreach will include the following: 1) workshops/seminars, 2) assessing local needs at local agricultures enterprises/expos/functions, 3) individualized training, 4) food safety certification study, and 5) virtual workshops/webinars on food safety education. The Institute will sponsor up to twenty-five (25) educational workshops and social networking events over the two-year period focusing on building the capacity of local groups to identify specific needs within their communities, and to implement appropriately customized food safety education and outreach programs to meet those specific needs. It is anticipated that at least 15-20 producers will attend each scheduled workshop. The comprehensive workshops and personal follow-up will provide participants with an opportunity to develop useful skills to expand food safety education for nontraditional audiences that will include socially disadvantaged farmers, beginning farmers, small processors, veterans, ranchers, and youth in their local communities. This face-to-face and firsthand approach to education typically leads to long-term behavioral change and is consistent with the philosophy that behavior changes are more likely with sustained personal support. The Institute's educational efforts will support the growth and expansion of already existing food safety education and outreach programs currently offered in local communities; to include previously funded, successful Pilot or Community Outreach Projects. In addition, these projects will enable existing programs to reach a broader target audience, provide technical assistance and/or to expand to new audiences.