Non Technical Summary
The central hypothesis of our FSOP application is that well-prepared and connected educators and regulators will more effectively advise, educate, and regulate small and medium-sized growers and processors. With better-targeted and accurate resources, educators will reach more under-served growers and provide equitable assistance for them to reach FSMA compliance. By supporting FSOP awardees, we will contribute to unique and successful outreach projects. Better connected educators and regulators will be more efficient, saving taxpayer money, and will enforce FSMA regulations consistently across the region. The 2022 NCR FSMA evaluation report revealed that the NCR produce safety network is "highly valued by partners because they can network, collaborate, and learn together."We expect our short-term impact to be increased knowledge for educators, regulators, and non-profit staff; easier access to educational materials; improved relationships between the network.We expect a long-term impact that includes increased compliance across growers and processors, especially those from under-served and hard-to-reach populations; fewer citations during inspections; fewer outbreaks; and a sustainable network of educators and regulators.Our four objectives are:Connect educators, regulators, outreach staff and other stakeholders to develop and maintain an active and effective produce safety networkProvide support to those working with under-served audiences to advance the knowledge of industry, academia, and regulatory personnel.Offer specific education/outreach for those who work with produce growersOffer specific education/outreach for those who work with produce processors and the cottage food industryTo ensure we meet these goals and to be attentive to changes in the industry, we will utilize a formal evaluator who will conduct interviews, create evaluation surveys, and write reports.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
723	5010	3030	75%
712	5010	3020	25%

Knowledge Area
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins; 723 - Hazards to Human Health and Safety;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 3030 - Information and communication;

Goals / Objectives
Continue to facilitate communication between educators, regulators, outreach staff, and other stakeholders to develop and maintain an active and effective food safety growing and processing network.Continue to facilitate coordination between those working with under-served audiences to advance the knowledge of industry, academia, and regulatory personnel.Offer specific education/outreach for those who work with produce growers.Offer specific education/outreach for those who work with processors and cottage food operators.Implement actionable assessment and evaluation protocols for the Center and stakeholders.

Project Methods
The following activities have been successful in past iterations of the grant, and we plan to continue offering them.Annual Conference- in-person conferences have been held in Indiana and Wisconsin. 75 and 50 people attended those events, respectively. Attendees included educators, regulators, and non-profit staff. Virtual events were even better attended, and virtual events may be considered again, if stakeholders do not have sufficient funds to attend in-person events. Participants found the in-person gatherings especially helpful at making connections with their colleagues, according to evaluation surveys.Fall Professional Development Event- this has been held four times in-person and twice virtually. We will continue hosting a yearly event for educators and regulators who work with the PSR. This event helps partners prepare for the upcoming education season.Processing webinars- in the current iteration of the grant, we have offered two processing webinars per year. These webinars have been attended by regulators, processor educators, and non-profit staff. According to evaluation surveys, participants find the knowledge they gain useful for their jobs.Ongoing regulator meetings- currently we offer three ongoing meetings for inspectors; inventory/outreach staff; and program managers.These meetings reach unique groups who share similar challenges. State employees share best practices, for example which database system they are using for their produce inventory. This allowed states who hadn't made a decision to choose one that would best fit their needs. Inspectors share complicated situations and discuss how to best handle issues. This helps ensure growers who operate in more than one state are inspected to the same standards. Program managers invited FDA staff to a meeting before an annual report was due, which allowed FDA staff to answer questions more efficiently.Monthly webinars - these virtual meetings are geared towards educators of processors and growers (these topics rotate). They are also attended by non-profit staff and regulators who also offer education. The meetings include presentations from FSOP awardees and those who have utilized NCR FSMA funds to create new resources.Monthly newsletters- these are sent out to our mailing list which currently includes 236 people. This includes people from all twelve states, those who work for regional organizations, FDA/USDA staff, and people from outside the region.)Online presence- our website has received 3,940 unique views and 1,117 unique downloads during 2023. Our social media page has 69 followers.Collaboration- we work with the LRCC, other regional centers, NASDA, PSA, FSPCA, LFSC, IFAI, and FDA Produce Safety Network to coordinate work across the country. We attend virtual and in-person meetings, share updates, and offer feedback as requested. The LFSC has requested that an NCR FSMA staff person serve on their steering committee for the past several years. We presented at the NASDA Consortium in 2022 and at multiple regional conferences. We have invited IFAI leaders to speak at our annual conferences and regulator meetings.Requesting feedback- we seek feedback from our partners through informal discussions and formal surveys. The evaluator has conducted numerous interviews each year to collect feedback.New partners- we look for opportunities to connect with new organizations and new staff where existing relationships have been built.Support FSOP awardees- we reach out to new grantees, write letters of support for applications, and encourage non-traditional applicants.Resource development- we update resources, tailor existing resources to new populations, and create new resources as appropriate. These resources include fact sheets (that cover BSAAO's, bodily fluids, U-Picks, etc.); online quizzes that cover state regulations for cottage food operators; and flipcharts for farmworker training. All the resources are accessible and posted on the NCR FSMA website and the national Clearinghouse. We also provide stipends for individuals/groups who need assistance to create new resources. Our funding has supported translating farm food safety plans for refugee growers; buying technology to create a podcast focusing on produce safety; and creating infographics to explain safe use of BSAAO's.Financial support- we provide stipends for professional development, outreach to under-served groups, and developing/reviewing new resources. Partners have utilized these funds to attend NCR FSMA events, the NASDA Consortium, other regional centers' conferences, and online events.Produce Safety Network- we promote and participate in the FDA/NCR partner calls that FDA Produce Safety Expert Kristin Esch organizes. Currently, they are held on a quarterly basis.Clearinghouse resource review- when we receive requests from the Western Center, we recruit and compensate our partners to participate in the review process through the national Clearinghouse.North Central Food Safety Educators' Network- Currently, the NCR FSMA hosts the NCFSEN website. We will continue to collaborate with this group and facilitate the sharing of their resources. Their resources on canning were some of the most frequently downloaded resources on the NCR FSMA website in 2022-2023.Support for joint, remote PSA trainings- As a higher percentage of growers are reached through PSA trainings, it will be increasingly difficult to efficiently reach the remaining growers who need the training. By nurturing the relationships that make remote trainings possible between states, the NCR FSMA allows trainers to work more effectively. With the May 2023 announcement that the PSA no longer considers remote trainings a "temporary" mode of delivery, educators can begin to plan long-term for cooperative trainings between states.Collaborations- we will continue to create collaborations with under-served groups. For example, we have toured diversified farms and control environment agriculture farms as part of our annual conferences. We have invited small growers to speak to our fall professional development event. The NCR FSMA has also provided stipends to help fund trainings held specifically for under-served audiences and funded postage expenses to mail newsletters to the Plain community.