Source: RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP submitted to NRP
NEW MEXICO FOOD SAFETY STRONG
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030951
Grant No.
2023-70020-40571
Cumulative Award Amt.
$399,504.00
Proposal No.
2023-03032
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
RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP
318 ISLETA BLVD SW
ALBUQUERQUE,NM 87105
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Rio Grande Community Development Corporation and the New Mexico Farmers' MarketingAssociation have partnered to create New Mexico Food Safety Strong (NMFSS), which aims toenhance the food safety and quality assurance knowledge and capacities of New Mexico's small-scalefarmers and small processors, allowing them to take advantage of existing and expandingmarket opportunities while furthering the growing culture of food safety among food processorsin the State.The NMFSS project goals is toincrease and improve the sustainability of food safety knowledge and qualityassurance to food growers and small processors throughout New Mexico.
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
Goal: New Mexico Food Safety Strong (NMFSS) will increase and improve the sustainability of food safety knowledge and quality assurance to food growers and small processors throughout New Mexico.Objectives: Objective 1: Expand Food Safety Training to new audiences: small-scale food processors/value-added businesses and entrepreneurs.Objective 2: Provide in-person and online Food Training and technical assistance to a minimum of 90 small-scale food processors/value-added business owners or operators.Objective 3: Increase of 50 additional food producers and processors in the Approved Supplier Program, especially harder-to-reach, small-scale producers/processors.Objective 4: Improve Food Safety Capacity and access to food safety resources of at least five Food Hubs and aggregators.Objective 5: Increase five additional lead trainers or apprentice/co-trainers from the food hubs to the existing NMFMA Food Safety Training Network (FSTN).
Project Methods
Our approach for this project involves the use of design thinking and lean methodology. By combining these two methodologies, we aim to foster a collaborative approach that incorporates the end-users' needs and feedback throughout the development and execution process. We will use design thinking to empathize with the target audience, define the problem, ideate, and prototype potential solutions, and test and iterate these solutions through rapid experimentation. We will also incorporate lean methodology to minimize waste and optimize the use of resources, while continuously seeking feedback and measuring progress towards our goals. Our collaborative approach, centered on design thinking and lean methodology, will ensure that our project is both efficient and effective in meeting the needs of the end-users.To ensure that the target audience is reached effectively, the materials will be translated into priority languages, including Spanish and Dine. Furthermore, we will align the graphic design with the feedback received from our on-the-ground partners to ensure that the materials are culturally appropriate and resonate with the intended audience.The key project milestones that will track our efforts include:Development of the new food safety training curriculum in English, Spanish, and Dine for small-scale food processors/value-added businesses and entrepreneurs,Target date for achieving this milestone: January 31st, 2024,Delivery of initial food safety training curriculum in English, Spanish, or Dine for small-scale food processors/value-added businesses and entrepreneurs,Target date for achieving this milestone: March 30th, 2024,First food safety trainer joining NMFMA's Food Safety training network through the work of this project,Target date for achieving this milestone:March 30th, 2024,First processor joining the Approved supplier program,Target date for achieving this milestone:June 30th, 2024,Development of video series based on the Food Safety Training curriculum for small-scale food processors/value-added businesses and entrepreneurs based on key topics and concepts included in the new curriculum, Target date for achieving this milestone:October 30th, 2025,andFirst Food Hub that incorporates food safety training to its regular operations,Target date for achieving this milestone:January 31st, 2026.The project will use a combination of primary and metadata collection methods, including surveys, interviews, sign-in sheets, assessments, and observations, to evaluate the project success. Output progress will be measured quantitatively, including:Number of in-person and virtual Food Safety training workshops provided.Number and demographics of participants at each in-person and virtual Food Safety training workshop.Number of outreach hours to inform food producers and processors about food safety training and the Approved Supplier program.Number of technical assistance sessions and demographics to processors about food safety and the Approved Supplier Program application.Number of consulting sessions to Food Hubs based on the Food Hub food safety training program.Number of virtual and in-person food safety training network meetings.All data collected from each program that the RGCDC oversees will be retained indefinitely. To reduce the risk of data loss, the RGCDC backs up the software data to an in-house server in a locked archive room. The server is periodically backed up to an external hard drive stored in a fire grade safe.The RGCDC will use quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. The results of the project will be analyzed and evaluated by comparing the outcomes pre- and post- participation.Quantitative indicators of success will include:improved food safety knowledge,increase to access to food safety training,increase in food safety standards throughout the New Mexico supply chain, andincrease in the community of practice centered around food safety.Qualitative data will be collected through interviews and surveys to gain a better understanding of:how the new curriculum impacted participants,how the Food Hub safety training program has impacted the Food Hub members,how joining the Approved Supplier program has impacted the participating food processors,How the food safety standards throughout the New Mexico supply chain have been impacted by increasing the number of food processors joining the Approved Supplier program,How joining NMFMA's Food Safety training network has impacted the participating lead trainers, andHow the community of practice centered around food safety has been impacted by increasing the number of lead trainers joining NMFMA's Food Safety training network

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

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for the NMFSS program is two-fold. While the eventual participants in training will be small-scale farmers, food producers, and entrepreneurs, over the past performance period, program staff have focused on liaising with food hub staff, Advisory Council members, the curriculum developer, and institutional buyers to plan curriculum and roll-out, build cohesive messaging and follow-up strategies, and do the internal work necessary to reach training participants in the next performance period. Changes/Problems:N/A What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The NMFSS project is built around the idea of delivering relevant, catalyzing trainings to food processors, value-added businesses, and entrepreneurs directly and through local food hubs. While trainings have not yet begun, through positions on the NMFSS Advisory Board, food hub leaders are actively shaping the information included in trainings and how trainings will be delivered to best meet their particular needs and their constituents' needs. Their inclusion on the Advisory Board ensures effective trainings during the next reporting period. Food hubs participating on the Advisory Board include the Frontier Food Hub, San Juan College Harvest Food Hub, and the Desert Spoon Food Hub. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Over the last year, NMFSS staff have worked diligently to build a coalition of communities of interest and include them on the newly formed Advisory Board early in the project. It is critical to the program's success to include their input early, rather than solely share results with them late in the project. The Advisory Board includes the aforementioned food hubs from around the state, the New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association, the program curriculum developer, project manager, RGCDC and South Valley Economic Development Center (SVEDC) staff, a local food safety expert, the New Mexico Economic Development Department, the Indian Pueblo Entrepreneurial Complex (IPEC) - a facility for food processers run by the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, and institutional buyers to capture feedback from constituents along the entire food value chain. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next reporting period work will continue over several fronts to ensure quality trainings are delivered around the state. First, curriculum will be finalized in English and Spanish with possible translation to Diné as well. Second, questionnaires for food hubs related to their training capacity will be sent out and evaluated so training format can be tailored to their needs. Lastly, evaluation tools will be used to surface any immediate adjustments that need to be made and understand what methods are working well.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? New Mexico Food Safety Strong (NMFSS) dedicated the past performance period to laying a successful foundation for achieving Objective 1: expanding food safety training to new audiences, the key to accomplishing the program's main goal - enhancing the food safety and quality assurance knowledge and capacities of New Mexico's small-scale farmers and small processors, allowing them to take advantage of existing and expanding market opportunities while furthering the growing culture of food safety among food processors in the state - and completing Objectives 2-5. Expanding food safety training effectively to small-scale food producers, value-added businesses, and entrepreneurs means creating tailored curriculum. Major progress has been made in producing, reviewing, and fine-tuning this new curriculum over the past performance period. The program's advisory board began coalescing in November 2024 and will begin the process of final reviews, optimizing curriculum for delivery to various audiences, and finalizing the curriculum shortly. NMFSS expects curriculum to be ready for dissemination in Quarter 2 of 2025, completing Objective 1. Once the curriculum is complete, focused work will begin on delivering it around New Mexico, beginning work on Objectives 2-5.

Publications