Source: GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY submitted to NRP
FSMA TRAINING COHORT FOR SMALL GEORGIA FOOD PRODUCERS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030900
Grant No.
2023-70020-40767
Cumulative Award Amt.
$399,784.00
Proposal No.
2023-03049
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2023
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[A4182]- Regional FSMA Center
Recipient Organization
GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
(N/A)
ATLANTA,GA 30332
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
There is need for low-cost, extended FSMA training, which incorporates one-on-one support, targeted for small food producers, especially those that are minority, women-owned, and in underserved communities. This Collaborative Education and Training project will leverage existing partnerships and forge new state-wide collaborations with various organizations to reach these populations across Georgia. Existing FSMA training materials will be refined to create a six-day workshop series utilizing a cohort model in which individuals from different companies participate together in a collaborative environment. Each of these classes will be held two-three weeks apart to allow for individual coaching calls to be scheduled with each company between each class. This will give the students time to absorb the material, conduct work on their food safety plans, ask questions, and receive individualized support. This cohort model has been used successfully in the past and many companies were able to finish the workshop with a FSMA-compliant food safety plan. Quarterly webinars will supplement the training. A needs assessment will be deployed prior to finalizing the curriculum, pre and post-tests and class surveys will be given during the workshops, and a survey will be delivered six to twelve months afterwards to assess the long-term economic impacts from the project. Class materials, anonymized student data, project learnings, and best practices will be shared with NIFA through annual reports and to fellow FSOP Project Directors at the Regional Meetings. The ultimate goal is to provide customized training in a cost-effective manner which ensures FSMA compliance.
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
90350103020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this Collaborative Education and Training Project is to deliver an extended Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)curriculum in a cohort model, along with individual coaching sessions, to provide comprehensive training on the Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) regulation, creating a food safety plan, and supporting prerequisite programs. Objectives Include:Deploy a curriculum of onsite and virtual food safety/FSMA cohort training workshops (each workshop will be six days in length)for small food producers, targeting minority, women-owned businesses, and other under-served communities.Provide custom support in the form of individual coaching sessions between each of the six workshop classesand perform quarterly webinars.Develop evaluation of knowledge retention and impact through onsite and long-term surveys for each participant.
Project Methods
Year 1 will begin with modifying existing food safety/FSMA training materials and the six-day cohort workshop model for the targeted audience needs.Each class will be held two-three weeks apart to allow time for an individual coaching session with each company between each class.Community partnerswill be leveraged to market and recruit participants.Pre/post-tests will be created toascertain knowledge gains, and a class survey created to understand immediate benefits. A long-term survey has already been developed to determine economic impact.An onsite and virtual workshop will be held during Year 1.Pre/post-tests and a survey will be given during the workshops, and quarterly webinars will be given to delve into topics or details not covered during the workshop.?Years 2 and 3 will continue outreach andrecruitment efforts with two onsite and one virtual workshop planned each year.Pre/post-tests and a survey will be deployed during the workshops, along with an additional survey the following year, and quarterly webinars will continue.Project reports will be submitted, and learnings shared at NIFA meetings.

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience: Company owners and other individuals responsible for food safety and governmental compliance from Georgia food manufacturers with limited resources and lacking the background knowledge to comply with the FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule. Changes/Problems: Slightly lower completion rate than expected for the first two cohorts. Unforeseen circumstances prevented a few companies from completing the program. We will plan on expanding our maximum registration cap for future cohorts to account for companies that are forced to drop-out. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The 17 FSMA Cohort attendees that successfully completed all six classes on the cohort were issued a certificate of participation which can be used to demonstrate that they are a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) that has been trained on the FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule. The quarterly Food Safety Friday webinars, which have been seen by almost 400 people, have provided clarification on various food safety topics which weren't included in the FSMA Cohort curriculum. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Outreach efforts tosmall food producerswere reached through events, newsletters, and via outreach partners (the Georgia Department of Agriculture, non-profits, professional societies, minority-based organizations, the Small Business Development Center, and community-based economic development organizations). Project PD has established a monthly column in the Georgia Market Bulletin (second largest state publication) to further spread food safety information. Results of the cohorts have been reported to internal stakeholders via the Southern Center meeting and the 2024 NECAFS meeting.All metrics and materials have been shared with the subaward partners. 50 people have attended the Food Safety Fridays quarterly webinar series. The recordings were posted on Georgia MEP's YouTube Channel and have received a total of 345 views total. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? In Year Two, three additional FSMA Cohort sessions are planned for Metter, GA (rural, middle Georgia), Tifton, GA (rural, South GA), and one virtual. Four Food Safety Friday webinars have also been scheduled. Survey questions will be developed to gather food safety and economic impacts from the cohort.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective One: In Year One, the curriculum, slide deck, student manual, and materials for a six-day FSMA Cohort Training Program was finalized and the class marketed. Two FSMA Cohorts were taught (one onsite in Atlanta, GA and one virtual) which each consisted of six classes and six one-on-one consultations. There was a total of 17 individuals from 10 different companies that completed the cohorts. Objective Two: In Year One, individual support was given to the participants in the form of one-on-one coaching and quarterly webinars. The one-on-one virtual calls were scheduled for all 10 companies that participated in the first cohort. These were offered after each of the six classes. Topics included clarification on class topics, detailed help with Food Safety Plan components, aid with traceability/recall programs and other pre-requisite programs. There were four webinars given during Year One on topics such as FSMA cohort information session, acidified foods, proper labeling, and governmental inspections. Objective Three: A pre- and post-test was developed to test knowledge retention. Participants scored an average of 89% on the final evaluation.

Publications