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Release No. 0330.04

> Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623
>
> Marti Asner (202) 720-8188

USDA AWARDS MORE THAN \$12 MILLION IN INTEGRATED FOOD SAFETY GRANTS

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio, Aug. 12, 2004--Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman
today announced that more than \$12 million has been awarded to 19
colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and its territories
through the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (NIFSI).

"The selection of these projects supports the Bush Administration\'s
efforts to enhance the protection and safety of agriculture and the food
supply," said Veneman during a visit here to dedicate a National 4-H
Monument where she discussed the importance of today's youth choosing
careers in food and agriculture fields, including the areas of research.
"Targeted research is one of several key initiatives we are implementing
to enhance food safety and improve food inspection systems."

These projects were selected for funding under USDA's unified food
safety research agenda announced November 2003, to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of food safety programs. The unified agenda
prioritizes research needs and maximizes use of available resources and
involves coordination among the Food Safety and Inspection Service,
(FSIS) the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Cooperative State
Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). FSIS is a public
health regulatory agency that protects consumers by ensuring that meat,
poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome and accurately labeled.
FSIS does not conduct its own research. Rather, the Agency identifies
research necessary to fulfill its public health mission. The
Agricultural Research Service is USDA\'s chief in-house scientific
research agency and the Cooperative State Research, Education and
Extension Service is USDA's chief research funding agency.

The purpose of the NIFSI, which is managed by CSREES, is to support
competitive projects that address priority issues in food safety that
are best solved using an integrated approach. These projects address a
broad spectrum of food safety concerns from on-farm production,
post-harvest processing and distribution, to food selection, preparation
and consumption. The grants make sure that food safety information is
passed on to people who operate various parts of the food chain.

Twenty-six grants have been awarded for Fiscal Year 2004. Each year
NIFSI awards these funds to faculty at land-grant and non-land grant
colleges and universities to ensure that valuable research, education
and extension knowledge is transferred to teachers, scientists, health
professionals, researchers, farmers, food processors, foodservice
workers, consumers and all others making crucial decisions about the
safety of the U.S. food supply.

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An average of approximately \$630,000 was awarded to each university to
support integrated food safety projects.

To learn more about the integrated food safety program at CSREES, visit
[www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/food/in_focus/safety_if_national.html](http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/food/in_focus/safety_if_national.html)

The Fiscal Year 2004 awards are as follows:

**ARIZONA**

To the University of Arizona, \$414,344, for the Assessment of
Perchlorate Content and Risks of Food Crops Irrigated with Colorado
River Water

**CALIFORNIA**

To the University of California, Davis, \$600,000, Reducing the Use of
Antibiotics and the Incidence of Antibiotic Resistance on Calf Ranches

University of California, Davis, \$156,886, Enhancing the Microbial
Safety of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Melons

# COLORADO 

To Colorado State University, \$489,527, Effect of Transportation and
Lairage on *E. coli* O157 and Salmonella spp. On Beef Cattle

Colorado State University, \$597,481, *Listeria Monocytogenes* in
Ready-to-Eat Meat Products: Risks, Controls, and Education for
Prevention

**DELAWARE**

To University of Delaware, \$450,205, Inactivation of Viruses by
Pressure in Ready-to-Eat Food Products

**FLORIDA**

To University of Florida, \$261,055, Validation of Tanker Truck
Sanitation Regimes as Related to the Secure Transportation of Liquid
Foods

Florida International University, \$599,557, Interactive Computer Food
Safety Education Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program
Clients

**GEORGIA**

To University of Georgia, \$600,000, Microbiological Safety of
Composting Process as Animal Manure Treatment

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University of Georgia, \$316,667, Improving the Efficacy of Sanitizers
on Fresh Produce and Produce Processing Surfaces Using Electrostatic
Sprays

**GUAM**

To University of Guam, \$386,701, Food Safety Education and Traditional
Food "Kelaguen" Modification for Consumers and Children in the U.S.
Territory of Guam

**INDIANA**

To Purdue University, \$599,790, Improving the Safety of Fresh Fruits
and Vegetables with Chlorine Dioxide Gas Using a Miniaturized
Industrial-Sized Tunnel System

**IOWA**

To Iowa State University, \$599,126, Southeast Iowa's Food Safety and
Animal Handling Procedures for Meat Processors and Livestock Producers

**KANSAS**

To Kansas State University, \$482,763, Improving Food Safety Practices
of Restaurant Employees Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

**MARYLAND**

To University of Maryland School of Medicine, \$600,000, Development of
Computer Models for Ranking the Public Health Impact of Foodborne
Hazards

**NEBRASKA**

To University of Nebraska, \$599,732, Validating and Implementing
*Listeria Monocytogenes* Controls in Ready-to-Eat Meat Products Produced
by Rural Meat and Poultry Operations in the Great Plains

University of Nebraska, \$599,916, HACCP Assistance of Small and Very
Small Processors with Development and Validation of Safe Meat Chilling
Processes

**NEW YORK**

To Cornell University, \$599,823, Computer-Aided Food Safety Engineering

Cornell University, \$599,924, Good Agricultural Practices Network for
Education and Training

**OHIO**

To Ohio State University, \$436,189, Safety of Food Processed by Four
Alternative Processing Technologies

-more-

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Ohio State University, \$599,996, Agricultural Ceftiofur Use and the
Dissemination of Third Generation Cephalosporin Resistance Genetics of
Public Health Concern

**OREGON**

To Oregon State University, \$453,915, Characterization of the Cadmium
Health Risk, Concentrations and Ways to Minimize Cadmium Residues in
Shellfish

**SOUTH CAROLINA**

To Clemson University, \$33,150, Food Safety from the Surface Up: A
Conference

**TENNESSEE**

To Tennessee State University, \$597,890, Characterizing Consumer
Handling, Storage, and Use of Product Labels and Dates to Develop Risk
Communication Messages for Ready-to-Eat Foods

**TEXAS**

To Texas A&M University, \$328,357, Improving Safety of Complex Food
Items Using Electron Beam Technology

**WISCONSIN**

To University of Wisconsin, \$600,000, HACCP Assistance for Small and
Very Small Meat Processors: Challenge Studies and Predictive Modeling
for Validation of Critical Limits

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