Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT CAROLINA
2100 SOUTH AVE
CAROLINA,PR 00987
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The academic programs of Food and Beverage (F&B) Operations Management need strong connections to the agricultural sciences and related disciplines to support efficiency. It is especially important that chefs, restauranteurs, and consumers have a safe and strong food supply. It is critical that hospitality management students are trained with up-to-date knowledge and skills in adequate food safety procedures to use the most current developments and best practices in the farm-to-table gastronomy movement.In recent years, more restaurants and chefs in Puerto Rico have taken part in a world-renowned movement known as farm-to-table, a trend that strives to serve dishes that include the freshest local ingredients, preferably from an on-site garden or farm. Each region consumes what is produced within it. The best-known chefs within the farm-to-table trend on PR are part of a new generation of local experts who have managed to stand out without distancing themselves from the signature Puerto Rican flavors. These are chefs whose creations have been reviewed internationally by topfood critics and renowned F&B publications. Locals and foreign visitors alike have enjoyed the sublime cultural and culinary experience in these distinctive restaurants, and the Government of Puerto Rico, through the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, has promoted these farm-to-table operations. However, no hospitality management program on the Island prepares its graduates on-line to become active participants and entrepreneurs in the Farm-To-Table (FTT) business model and ecosystem. The journey of food from farm to table is not just a physical transition but involves a series of meticulous processes aimed at ensuring the food that reaches our plates is safe, nutritious, and sustainable. It is a multifaceted voyage that begins with the seed and ends with the final meal, encompassing numerous stakeholders including farmers, processors, transporters, retailers, and consumers. Each player has a critical role in maintaining the integrity and safety of our food. With the global food supply chain becoming more complex and interconnected, the potential risks associated with food safety have increased.To provide this much-needed training to students and agricultural workers, the SHRA has identified the need to create an On-Line Farm-To-Table (OLFTT) and On-Line Food Safety (OLFS) certificate and eventually transform it into a two academic credits course. This is the first time that a program with this focus will be developed in Puerto Rico. The SHRA dean and faculty have met with students, the Advisory Board, professional associations, and alumni to discuss the food industry's needs. The development of a unique, innovative, and strong OLFTT and OLFS understanding will provide under-represented students with a profound knowledge of where food ingredients come from, the advantages of buying local produce, various farming, and production methods, and how to continue to make the best sustainable and ethical agricultural product choices throughout their culinary and foodservice careers. SHRA will closely collaborate with the FNS Office in Puerto Rico and FIDA to participate in practical events related to the project. This joint effort will offer participants the opportunity to connect with farm owners and restaurant chefs who are practicing strict food safety protocols and farm-to-table procedures.The integration of several disciplines includinghospitality administration, foodservice and culinary management, natural sciences, and agriculture. Successful FTT workers will start with full knowledge and understanding of the basic partners in the food chain: farmers, ranchers, artisans, vintners, producers, and distributors. At the UPRCa, the students will make virtual visits to the field to understand what it takes to bring locally produced ingredients to the commercial kitchen. Participants will discover various farming and production methods, the advantages of buying locally, and how to make the best sustainable and ethical ingredient choices throughout their F&B careers. Students will also be exposed to several natural sciences disciplines related to food safety, covering information about takeout food safety, grocery shopping, bulk meat sales, face coverings and personal protection equipment, produce concerns, retail establishments sanitation, foodservice employee health, receiving, storing, preparing, and packaging food, food banks, farmers markets, agribusiness, and gardening.The on-line project will improve the quality of FTT education in PR and will produce a considerable number of well-qualified professionals in F&B Operations Management. With the new offering of the certifications, students will receive a complete and comprehensive understanding of the administrative and technical aspects of FTT and Food Safety (FS) restaurant operations. Participants will be able to explore how sustainability principles and practices in farms are redefining the way chefs interact with the environment. In addition, they will learn about the politics of food systems and gain awareness of issues related to agriculture, fisheries, the dairy industry, meat and poultry production, water, and waste, as well as trade, health, successful restaurant operations and social justice. All participants will gain knowledge of food and agriculture careers through opportunities with project partners in government and private enterprises from specially designed activities at the UPRCa and through virtual field trips to farmers markets, Latino Farm-to-Table Restaurants, and local farms.The project integrates several disciplines including hospitality administration, foodservice, culinary management, natural sciences, and agriculture. Successful OLFTT and OLFS workers start with full knowledge and understanding of the basic partners in the food chain: farmers, ranchers, artisans, vintners, producers, and distributors. At the UPRCa the students will go on virtual visits to the field to understand what it takes to bring locally produced ingredients to the commercial kitchen. Participants will discover various farming and production methods, the advantages of buying local, and how to make the best sustainable and ethical ingredient choices throughout theirF&B and culinary careers. Students will also be exposed to several natural sciences disciplines related to FSMA Rules, food safety, covering information about takeout food safety, grocery shopping, bulk meat sales, face coverings and personal protection equipment, produce concerns, retail establishments sanitation, foodservice employee health, receiving, storing, preparing, and packaging food, food banks, farmers markets, agribusiness, and gardening.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
a) Strengthen institutional educational capacities to develop and enhance curriculum, faculty, instruction delivery systems, and infrastructure including libraries and scientific instrumentation, to respond and serve the needs of insula's residents of Puerto Rico.-To improve on-line student learning by 10% through revised on-line F&B courses, enhanced teaching techniques, and the addition of participatory educational events in Spanish related to the farm-to-table movement and food safety. The OLFTT Certification will enhance and develop connections with providers of locally grown and produced food, whose food safety techniques are correct and adequate based on government standards.-One SHRA professors will become OLFTT certified facilitator, delivering the first certification on-line of its kind in Spanish in PR.-One SHRA professors will become OLFS certified facilitator, delivering the first certification on-line of its kind in Spanish in Puerto Rico.- Fifteen UPRCa students and thirty rural foodservice workers will undergo OLFTT certifications. The certification requires the individual to pass a final test. Fifteen UPRCa students and sixty rural foodservice workers will undergo OLFS certifications. The certification requires the individual to pass a final test. A laptop and/or internet access through a hotspot will be aailable to those participants enrolled in any of the courses offered by the UPRCa, who do not have either a computer or internet access, at no cost.-The certifications will be taught in Spanish, which can serve as a model for Hispanic communities in the Insular United States and in other Spanish-speaking countries.-USDA DEG proposal funds will significantly strengthen the SHRA's library collection and educational materials needed for the OLFTT method and Food Safety regulations. The collection of books and digital publications on Latino Farm-to-Table and Food Safety topics will besignificantly improved at UPRCa.-New cinematographic materials will be acquired to produce material in the form of videos and images, to add resources available at the UPRCa library. At least two professors from the faculty, who already have online course design skills, will be trained on the appropriate use of new technological film materials.b)Recruit, retain, and support undergraduate students from Insular, especially Hispanics, who are severely underrepresented in professionaljobs related to food and agricultural science, to prepare them for careersrelated to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States.- To reshape F&B Operations Management curricula by offering an On-line two non-academic credits course in the Latino Farm-to-Table movement and Food Safety in an everchanging foodservice industry. This will allow an increase in recruitment and retention of underrepresented insular students by 2 %. Orientations to at least 90 participants from the free courses of the proposal and who do not have at least an associate degree from the SHRA will learn about the benefits of obtaining a degree in the hospitality industry and will be advised on how to be admitted to one of SHRA programs.-Coordinate at least 10 educational initiatives in the projects' period with the FNS and FIDA: a Hospitality Job Fair, a Latino Farm-to-Table forum, FDA FSMA Food Safety Rules Webinars, virtual field trips to local farms and restaurants, and a hybrid Chefs´ Guest Speaker Series to connect and prepare them for careers in the public and private sectors in the food and agricultural industries. Events will be face-to-face, hybrid and on-line.-To support recruitment of insular students by establishing a project website linked to the UPRCa website with virtual promotional and outreach efforts in high schools in PR.- Communication techniques will be applied to publish the project, through the email network of the UPR System, UPRCa, ASORE, PRHTA, and the UPR System social media and the website created exclusively for the project.-To offer state and federal financial aid assistance for Hispanic students in need through Pell grants, student loans, and private foundation donations.-Continue to offer the OLFTT and OLFS certifications to UPRCa students and the general community after the conclusion of the USDA DEG funding through the UPRCa Continuing Education Division (DECEP).c)Facilitate cooperative initiatives between two ormore Academic Institutions or between Institutions and units of the state and federal government or the private sector such as non-profit organizations, to maximize the development and use of resources and to improve the food and agricultural sciences teaching programs.-To provide certification training to 15 students and 30 rural area foodservice workers in OLFTT methods during the project's three-year period.-To provide certification training to at least 15 students and 60 rural area foodservice workers in OLFS Certifications during the project's period.-To involve at least 30 SHRA students and 90 rural foodservice workers in UPRCA-USDA-FNS and FIDA educational initiatives in three years.-To increase by 100% the number of collaborative activities between the SHRA, the USDA-FNS, FDA, and FIDA, such as a Hospitality Career Day, a Chef Guest Speaker Series, a Food Safety and Latino Farm-to-Table Forum, virtual local farm visits, and rural community outreach.-Create digital brochures for dissemination purposes.d)Support activities at institutions of Higher Education that strengthen the ability to serve as role model on supporting Puerto Ricans attainment by addressing the needs of this group and allowing the DEG to enhance equity for underrepresented groups.-To expose 15% of SHRA students and 20 rural foodservice workers from the community to foodservice operation models with strong Farm-to-Table and Food Safety procedures.-To expose 12% of SHRA students to foodservice operation leaders through a unique UPRCa Farm-to-Table and Food Safety MP.-To train 15 SHRA students and 30 rural foodservice workers with the latest successful OLFTT practices, and 15 SHRA students and 60 food service workers in Food Safety in Spanish, to serve as a Latino model for other Hispanic communities in the United States mainland.
Project Methods
Plan of Operation and Methodology - The Project Director (PD) will be responsible for efficiently planning and accomplishing the following activities:•F&B Operations Administration Curriculum- A part of this proposal is adding on-line farm-to-table and food safety digital educational materials and supplies to improve the SHRA offering, representing a 100% increase in this type of training.•The OLFTT and the OLFS Certification Offerings - A key activity of this proposed project is the on-line certification of two new SHRA´s faculty member to become instructors, and the participation of 30 SHRA students and 90 rural foodservice workers the certifications program. SHRA faculty will develop the OLFTT Certification and the OLFS Certification, both in Spanish, during the first year. During the grant's third and fourth quarter, faculty members will start to offer the on-line certifications training and complete all the steps to certify 40 participants per year, for a total of 30 SHRA students and 90 rural foodservice workers. Benefits of thesecertifications include: a) havingone OLFTT and one OLFS certificate facilitators to the UPRCa, the FNS, and FIDA; b) increasing by one hundred future and existing students and foodservice employees with the latest on-line farm-to-table facts in three years; c) helping the FNS and FIDA improve knowledge and practice of proper and FTT and FS methods among foodservice facilities in rural areas; d) exposing students and the community to a foodservice operation model with the latest FTTand FS logistics; e) offering certifications in the years beyond the proposal duration through the DECEP; f) collaborating with the FNS and FIDA on at least 3-4 initiatives per year, such as Guest Speakers Series presentations, a Hospitality Job Fair, a Food Safety and Latino Farm-to-Table Forum, virtual field trips to local farms, a specific Chefs Guest Speakers Serie, and Latino Farm-to-Table restaurants, among others.•A faculty selection committee comprised of the PD, Co-PD, and another F&B professor will advise and assist SHRA's students. The PD and Co-PD will be responsible for planning and managing the projects. UPRCa personnel will perform clerical work and provide general secretarial support to the PD. The PD, Co-PD, and the FNS and FIDA management team will recruit 90 rural area workers.•The PD and Co-PD will oversee the implementation of the unique UPRCa Farm-to-Table and Food Safety MP, to at least 30 SHRA´s students, managed under the project. The mentorship program will provide guidance, support, and sense of community with activities incorporated into the overall 3-year project timeline.•A virtual or in person graduation ceremony for those who complete the requirements of the program will be held at the SHRA's Restaurant Dining Room at the end of each annual cycle. UPRCa community, SHRA faculty, and FNS and FIDA directors will be invited.