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  1. Grants and Cooperative Agreements

FDA-State Produce Safety Implementation Cooperative Agreement Program

What is the FDA-State Produce Safety Implementation Cooperative Agreement Program?

To minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death from consumption of contaminated produce, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce raw agricultural commodities grown for human consumption. FDA established these standards in the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, referred to as the Produce Safety Rule under 21 CFR Part 112, as part of the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Additionally, FSMA explicitly recognizes that all food safety agencies need to work together in an integrated way to achieve our public health goals.

FDA initiated a partnership with state and territory agencies in 2016 through June 2021 via the cooperative agreements under PAR-16-137. That Cooperative Agreement Program (CAP) provided technical and financial assistance to state and territorial agencies to develop and implement multi-faceted Produce Safety Programs that support implementation of the Produce Safety Rule and the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

The FDA’s Produce Safety CAP is to enhance produce safety and achieve high rates of compliance with the FDA’s Produce Safety Rule by way of regulatory programs focused on quality and national consistency; education and technical assistance; prioritizing farming operations covered by the Produce Safety Rule; and local/state/federal coordination to support an IFSS.

What are the Objectives of the FDA-State Produce CAP?

The program objectives outlined below are detailed in the PAR-21-174 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA):

Objective 1. Assessment and Planning
Develop and maintain Project Plan and Assessment documents that will guide the development of the grantee’s produce program.

Objective 2. Program Administration
Establish the foundational resources, including, but not limited to, personnel, supplies, training, authority, and agreements, needed to fulfill the grantee’s project plan.

Objective 3. Education, Outreach, and Technical Assistance
Provide opportunities for education, outreach, and technical assistance on the Produce Safety Rule and the jurisdiction’s produce regulatory program to produce farms, prioritizing covered farms.

Objective 4. Farm Inventory
Establish a complete and accurate inventory of produce farms, which can be used to implement corresponding objectives of this CAP.

Objective 5. Inspection Program
In effort to support an IFSS, develop inspection regulatory programs should be focused on quality and national consistency.

Objective 6. Compliance and Enforcement Program
Establish compliance and enforcement programs tailored to their chosen program path. In any event, it is recommended that all programs coordinate with local/state/federal agencies to utilize the compliance and enforcement action(s) that will result in greatest protection of public health. In effort to support an IFSS, compliance and enforcement regulatory programs should be focused on quality and national consistency.

Objective 7. Produce Related Event Response Planning and Implementation
As of 10/28/2021, Objective 7 work under this CAP is on pause until further notice - Each jurisdiction should have the capability to systematically detect, investigate, mitigate, document, and analyze produce related incidents to stop, control and prevent hazards that are likely to result in a produce related illness, injury or outbreak. If the Assessment (see Objective 1) conducted by the grantee reveals a response capability that does not exist or has gaps requiring further development, the grantee will document a plan and request additional funding to develop the capability/capabilities within the jurisdiction.

Who are the current awardees?

Current awardees for this cooperative agreement include state government agencies with actual or potential regulatory oversight and responsibility over their respective jurisdiction’s commodities regulated in FDA's Produce Safety Rule.

Each grantee is enrolled in the CAP by their chosen Program Path (A, B, or C). The Program Path outlines which objectives the grantee will pursue and how produce regulatory inspections will be conducted in their state.

PATH A: Jurisdictions that will not conduct produce safety inspections (non-regulatory programs) but will complete other applicable program objectives. Path A grantees are responsible for completing all items under Program Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4.

PATH B: Jurisdictions that will conduct produce safety inspections under FDA’s authority and will complete other applicable program objectives. Path B grantees are responsible for completing all items under Program Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

PATH C: Jurisdictions that will conduct produce safety inspections under their own authority and will complete other applicable program objectives. Path C grantees are responsible for completing all items under Program Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Funding amounts are based on band assignments for each Program Path. Band assignments are based on the anticipated workload for each grantee. A description of the band assignments can be found in the PAR-21-174 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

United States Map displaying 47 FDA funded State Produce cooperative agreement states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV.

 

United States Map displaying 47 FDA funded State Produce cooperative agreement states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV.

  • 2023-2024 available program funds: $25.7M
State/Territory Program Path
AK B
AL C
AR C
AZ C
CA B
CO C
CT C
DE B
FL B
GA C
HI A
IA A
ID C
IN C
KS B
KY C
LA C
MA C
MD C
ME B
MI C
MN C
MO B
MS C
MT C
NC C
ND A
NE B
NH C
NJ B
NM B
NV C
NY C
OH C
OK C
OR A
PA B
RI C
SC C
TN B
TX C
UT C
VA C
VT C
WA C
WI B
WV B

Where can I get more information?

Specific programmatic questions on this program can be directed to the appropriate Produce Group contact within the Office of Partnerships (OP), Division of Partnership Investments and Agreements. You can also find helpful information by reviewing the PAR-21-174 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

General questions about FDA's funding opportunities can be directed to the Office of Partnerships' general mailbox: op.feedback@fda.hhs.gov

 
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