In this episode, we speak with Dr. Courtenay Simmons, Program Specialist at the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, about the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP). 

Hear about: 

- The program’s history and what it does 

- Types of projects the program supports 

- The 4 regional centers for food safety 

- How to access resources and get involved with the FSOP community 

Resources: 

Learn more about the Food Safety Outreach Project on the USDA’s website: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/programs/food-safety/food-safety-outreach-program 

Contact policy@usda.gov for information about food safety policy. 

Find information and contact the 4 regional centers using the links below: 

1. Southern Center for Food Safety Training, Outreach and Technical Assistance at the University of Florida (UF/IFAS): https://sc.ifas.ufl.edu | Contact: southerncenter@ifas.ufl.edu and keiths29@ufl.edu 

2. Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) at the University of Vermont: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/necafs | Contact e-mail: necafs@uvm.edu 

3. North Central Region Center for FSMA Training, Extension and Technical Assistance (NCR FSMA) at Iowa State University: https://www.ncrfsma.org | Contact e-mail: ncrfsma@iastate.edu 

4. Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety (WRC) at Oregon State University: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/wrcefs | Contact -email: wrcefs@oregonstate.edu

Learn more about FOG’s upcoming food safety-related podcast, events and webinars on our website: https://foginfo.org/food-safety-for-producers/

For the latest news on FSMA, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Website:
https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma