[Federal Register: April 20, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 75)]
[Notices]
[Page 20517-20521]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20ap05-27]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 05-004N]
Notice of Funding Opportunities With the Food Safety and
Inspection Service for Food Safety Cooperative Agreements for Fiscal
Year 2005
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service.
ACTION: Notice of funding opportunities for fiscal year 2005.
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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is soliciting
proposals for cooperative agreement projects to be funded in fiscal
year 2005. Proposals should be made in one or more of the cooperative
agreement program areas described in this notice.
DATES: Proposals must be submitted by June 20, 2005.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
FSIS continuously seeks new ideas and strategies to reduce the
incidence of foodborne illnesses associated with meat, poultry, and egg
products and protect the food supply. Agency innovations, notably those
associated with the implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Point (HACCP) systems, have helped reduce foodborne illnesses
in recent years. FSIS seeks to achieve additional reductions in
foodborne illnesses, and to enhance food security, through further
improvements in FSIS operations and
[[Page 20518]]
through joint efforts with partner agencies and organizations.
To achieve this goal, FSIS is authorized to use cooperative
agreements to reflect a relationship between FSIS and other Federal
agencies, States, or cooperators to carry out educational programs or
special studies to improve the safety of the nation's food supply (Pub.
L. 108-7, sec. 713, 117 Stat. 39). Also, FSIS has been directed to
further develop the Food Emergency Response Network, a network of
Federal, State and local laboratories that provides the nation the
analytic capabilities and capacity it needs to cope with agents
threatening the food supply (Pub. L. 108-447; H.R. Conf. Rpt. 108-792).
Risk analyses have shown that the safety of food is affected by
hazards throughout the farm-to-table continuum. FSIS alone does not
have the resources to address and ameliorate all hazards. FSIS seeks
partners to assist in the development of materials that will have a
national impact on public health. In keeping with its July 2004
strategy paper ``Fulfilling the Vision, Initiatives in Protecting
Public Health,'' FSIS will engage in cooperative projects that will
achieve measurable enhancement of the Nation's public health through
food safety.
With the goal of making demonstrable improvements in public health
through further science-based reductions in the incidence of foodborne
disease and hazards associated with meat, poultry, and egg products,
and to enhance food defenses through improved State and local
government laboratory participation in the Food Emergency Response
Network, FSIS will fund cooperative agreements in the following areas:
1. Food animal production, transportation, and marketing. Projects
would develop and implement producer education programs that promote
the use of best practices and interventions that reduce the potential
for pathogens and other hazards borne by livestock and poultry to be
introduced into meat, poultry, and egg products produced from those
animals. An example would be a project to develop practical methods for
controlling Salmonella or pathogenic E. coli on the farm to decrease
the prevalence of those bacteria at slaughter.
2. Small and very small inspected meat, poultry, or egg product
establishments. Projects would assist small plants (fewer than 500
employees) and very small plants (10 or fewer employees, or less than
$2.5 million in annual sales), which often have limited technical and
financial resources with which to comply fully with Federal inspection
requirements. FSIS seeks to develop food safety training and
educational programs and materials to reflect the needs of diverse
customers and constituents with specific food safety concerns. The
Nation's diverse population is reflected in its diverse food industry,
which presents challenges for regulatory authorities, who must
communicate effectively with them on a range of food safety issues.
Projects would equip FSIS and its food safety partners to better
overcome language and cultural barriers in delivering essential food
safety messages to these firms. Projects would help FSIS and state meat
and poultry inspection program officials identify and address food
safety and public health concerns associated with particular geographic
regions or specific minority populations. FSIS is seeking to develop
new and innovative materials that cover topics such as Listeria
monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, validation of
pathogen controls in small plants, assessing the effectiveness of food
safety systems, and building on lessons learned from HACCP systems.
3. Retail stores, food service establishments, and other
inspection-exempt small businesses processing or handling meat,
poultry, and egg products. Projects would assist State and local
agencies to promote, and food businesses under their jurisdiction to
adopt, appropriate controls and interventions to ensure that
inspection-exempt meat and poultry products being produced are safe and
wholesome and that inspected meat and poultry products being handled
and prepared remain safe and wholesome for consumers. Projects may
address State and local retail inspectors' needs for tools to ensure
the safety of meat and poultry processed or handled at retail, reducing
the potential for Listeria monocytogenes contamination of ready-to-eat
meat and poultry products, and ways to leverage current Federal, State,
and local food safety activities to more effectively protect consumers.
4. Applications of new technologies that will permit small and very
small meat, poultry, and egg product establishments to produce safer
products. Projects would assist small and very small plants to adapt
and use new technologies, including interventions, processes, and
systems, to enhance product safety.
5. Enhancement of laboratory testing capability of the Food
Emergency Response Network for microbiological threat agents.
Cooperative agreements will develop programs to assist State and local
laboratories to augment microbiological threat agent testing capacities
and increase the number of member laboratories that are able to perform
threat agent testing for the network. The agreements will enhance
laboratories' ability to analyze for microbiological threat agents
using FERN methods and improve laboratory capacities for surveillance
and outbreak response. The agreements will support training in FERN
threat agent methods and the purchase of supplies and equipment
required by the methods. After training and demonstration of
proficiency, laboratories will participate in validation studies with
various food matrices as well as surveillance activities sponsored by
FERN.
FSIS expects to allocate approximately $2,500,000 to fund
cooperative agreements in these areas this fiscal year. The approximate
amount available for each area, and the range in dollars for proposed
cooperative projects, is provided below. Academic institutions; State,
local and tribal government agencies; and non-profit organizations are
invited to submit brief proposals (one to two pages) for cooperative
agreements in any of the areas described. These proposals will be
reviewed by FSIS. If reviewers find that the proposals would further
the food safety and public health goals of FSIS, are applicable
nationwide to targeted audiences, can be reproduced and disseminated,
and reflect new materials or approaches, submitters will be invited to
further develop the proposals for consideration as cooperative
agreements with FSIS, as funding is available.
Proposals are due June 20, 2005. FSIS will review and respond to
proposals by August 3, 2005. Unlike typical Federal grants, cooperative
agreements involve a Federal agency's active participation with the
cooperator during both project development and project execution. Work
products are intended to be available for public use nationwide. The
criteria used by FSIS to assess proposals are listed for each
cooperative agreement program area. Cooperators whose proposals are
selected for further project development will need to discuss and reach
agreement with FSIS on project details to permit establishment of a
cooperative agreement no later than July 30, 2005.
All proposals should address the following points:
Project description, including specific goals, timeline,
and deliverables
Description of national public benefit expected, including
expected utility of work products, for example, training manuals, CDs,
and videos
[[Page 20519]]
Projected costs, including cooperator contributions
Projected performance measures
Primary contact, principal investigator, and other likely
participants, and
Public domain; work products may be freely reproduced and
distributed by FSIS.
Multi-year projects will be considered, but they are subject to
annual renewal and may be affected by changes in FSIS' annual budget.
The number of projects funded each year is determined by the number of
proposals received, the extent to which they will further the food
safety and public health goals of the Agency, the performance of
ongoing projects, and funding availability.
Proposals are being solicited for fiscal year 2005 for the
following five cooperative agreement program areas:
1. Food animal production, transportation, and marketing
Description: Cooperative agreements will support State-level
partnerships to bring together food animal producers, veterinarians,
Extension specialists, State and Federal animal health officials, and
State and Federal public health officials to provide information and
education to food animal producers. Partnerships will develop and
distribute to producers educational materials that strengthen food
safety through adoption of animal production practices that support
pathogen reduction and residue avoidance in food animals. State food
safety partnerships will provide a continuing non-regulatory
infrastructure for information sharing among all levels of government
and the food animal industries and will enhance and recognize Quality
Assurance Programs (QAP) as a basic element of pre-harvest food safety.
Funding Level: The total level for fiscal year 2005 is
approximately $500,000. Agreements usually will not exceed $50,000.
Evaluation Criteria: Proposals for funding will be ranked in
consideration of certain factors. They are, in order of significance:
Proposal's feasibility and relevance to pre-harvest food
safety
Participation by State animal health or public health
officials
Participation by food animal industry leaders
Special animal health or food safety needs of industry
Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver to producers
information on food safety awareness and safe production practices
Food animal population affected
Cooperator's past performance in animal and egg production
food safety cooperative agreements, and
Geographic distribution of States (need for national
presence).
Submit Proposals to: john.ragan@fsis.usda. Although electronic
submissions are encouraged, proposals also may be mailed to John R.
Ragan, D.V.M., Animal and Egg Production Food Safety Staff, Zoonotic
Diseases and Residue Surveillance Division, Office of Public Health
Science, FSIS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 343 Aerospace
Building, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John R. Ragan, D.V.M., (202) 690-1277,
or Sibyl Wright, (202) 720-4923, sibyl.wright@fsis.usda.gov, of the
Animal and Egg Production Food Safety Staff.
2. Small and very small inspected meat, poultry or egg product
establishments.
Description: Cooperative agreements will provide outreach to
constituencies involved in FSIS-regulated activities, principally small
and very small establishments and establishments in tribal and other
underserved areas. Projects support training, education, and outreach
that will promote more effective use of HACCP systems, appropriate
responses to emerging food safety and food security concerns,
understanding of the latest information on foodborne illness and
hazards, availability of new procedures and technologies for hazard
avoidance and mitigation, and security guidance.
Funding Level: The total level is approximately $250,000.
Agreements typically range from $10,000 to $30,000. Larger amounts may
be considered for compelling projects.
Evaluation Criteria: Proposals for funding will be ranked in
consideration of certain factors. They are, in order of significance:
Responds to the needs of small and very small plants
Provides for measurable, documented results
Provides a degree of innovation
Assists small and very small plants to maintain effective
HACCP systems, produce safe products, and otherwise comply with Federal
regulations
Provides a deliverable product that can be easily shared
and is applicable to a wide audience. For example, the project will
result in information or materials and be presented in a format that
can be used by FSIS and its partners to improve food safety and impact
public health, and
Cooperator agrees to contribute significant resources to
the project.
Submit Proposals to: kathleen.barrett@fsis.usda.gov. Although
electronic submission is encouraged, proposals also may be mailed to
Kathleen Barrett at Strategic Initiatives, Partnerships and Outreach
Staff, FSIS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 405 Aerospace
Building, Washington, DC 20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Barrett, Strategic
Initiatives, Partnerships and Outreach Staff, at (202) 690-6644.
3. Retail stores, food service establishments, and other
inspection-exempt small businesses processing or handling meat,
poultry, and egg products.
Description: Projects will promote adoption of practices by small
businesses, in particular retail and food service establishments, to
reduce or eliminate food safety hazards to foods under their control.
Projects are typically aimed at enhancing State, local, or tribal
government food protection agencies' outreach capabilities and ability
to make measurable improvements in food safety in support of FSIS'
national public health mission and goals.
Funding Level: The total level is $250,000. Agreements typically
range from $20,000 to $50,000. Larger amounts may be considered for
compelling projects.
Evaluation Criteria: Proposals for funding will be ranked in
consideration of certain factors. They are, in order of significance:
Contributes to adoption by firms producing or handling
meat, poultry, and egg products of the best available practices for
controlling food safety hazards in their commercial environment.
Provides State and local food inspectors tools for
ensuring the safety of meat and poultry processed or handled at retail.
Leverages current Federal, State, and local food safety
activities to more effectively protect consumers.
Provides a degree of innovation.
Provides a deliverable product that is transferable; that
is, the project will result in information or materials useful for food
safety in other jurisdictions.
Responds to needs of underserved areas or populations.
Involves collaboration among interested entities; that is,
the project involves industry, academia, Extension, and consumer groups
as well as government agencies (involvement of a state food safety task
force is desirable).
[[Page 20520]]
Cooperator agrees to contribute significant resources to
the project.
Reduces the potential for product contamination, in
particular, Listeria contamination of ready to eat foods.
Submit Proposals to: ralph.stafko@fsis.usda.gov. Although
electronic submissions are encouraged, proposals also may be mailed to
Ralph Stafko, Strategic Initiatives, Partnerships, and Outreach Staff,
FSIS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 405 Aerospace Building,
Washington, DC 20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ralph Stafko, Strategic Initiatives,
Partnership, and Outreach Staff, at (202) 690-6520.
4. New Technology that will permit small and very small meat,
poultry and egg product establishments to produce safer products.
Description: Cooperative agreements will promote new technologies
or new adaptations of technologies, including interventions, processes,
or systems, that will enhance the ability of small and very small
plants to produce safe and wholesome meat, poultry, and egg products.
Funding Level: The total is approximately $500,000. Agreements will
range from $25,000 to $75,000. Larger contract proposal amounts may be
considered for certain projects that address FSIS food safety
priorities.
Evaluation Criteria: Proposals for funding will be ranked in
consideration of certain factors. They are, in order of significance:
Helps small and very small plants meet their HACCP and
food safety requirements.
Helps small and very small plants to understand how to
demonstrate that a new technology complies with Federal inspection
requirements.
Provides a degree of innovation.
Applies new research and technologies that address current
food safety and public health concerns, such as properly handling and
labeling products that contain ingredients that are known allergens.
Provides deliverable products that are easily
transferable, such as videos, training programs, and flow charts. The
project will result in information or materials useful to small and
very small plants to improve food safety.
For example, the subjects of proposals may include:
Antimicrobial or other kinds of interventions to reduce or
eliminate E. coli 0157:H7 in ground meat products.
Listeria monocytogenes post-lethality treatments for
ready-to-eat products.
The relationship between the level of Salmonella
enteritidis in eggs and egg products and the molting of poultry.
The relationship between the level of Salmonella
enteritidis and the temperature at which eggs have been held from the
day of lay until the day of processing.
Salmonella growth and reduction in shelf-stable ready-to-
eat products.
Cost-effective mechanisms to determine the temperature of
products while they are being shipped.
Allergens, food sensitivities, and intolerances in meat
and poultry products; development of a training program for small and
very small plants to help with the reassessment of their HACCP programs
as they pertain to any ingredient that may be an allergen.
Inoculation challenge studies on non-thermally processed
ready-to-eat products; for example, validation studies for dry cured
chorizo, basturma, prosciutto ham, and pancetta.
The amount of pathogen growth, such as E. coli O157:H7 and
Salmonella, on livestock carcasses during the cooling process, and the
development of easily understood predictive microbial models.
The minimum chamber relative humidity needed to ensure
that the moisture level on the product surface is adequate to achieve
the desired lethality without increasing the heat resistance of
bacterial pathogens (for example, Salmonella spp.).
Alternative methods, such as antimicrobial packaging, to
achieve surface lethality for products that had been exposed to the
environment after lethality treatment.
Submit Proposals to: shaukat.syed@fsis.usda.gov. Although
electronic submissions are encouraged, proposals also may be mailed to
Shaukat H. Syed, D.V.M., Director, New Technology Staff, FSIS, USDA,
1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 2932, South Building, Washington,
DC 20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard L. Early, D.V.M., New
Technology Staff, at (202) 205-0675.
5. Enhancement of laboratory testing capability of the Food
Emergency Response Network for microbiological threat agents.
Description: The Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) is composed
of State and local government regulatory laboratories with varying
capacities to perform the testing of threat agents. Cooperative
agreements will develop programs to assist State and local laboratories
to augment microbiological threat agent testing capacities and increase
the number of member laboratories that are able to perform threat agent
testing for the network. The agreements will enhance laboratories'
ability to analyze for microbiological threat agents using FERN methods
and improve laboratory capacities for surveillance and outbreak
response. The agreements will support training in FERN threat agent
methods and the purchase of supplies and equipment required by the
methods. After training and demonstration of proficiency, laboratories
will participate in validation studies with various food matrices as
well as surveillance activities sponsored by FERN.
Funding Level: The total level is approximately $1,000,000.
Agreements typically range from $50,000 to $100,000.
Evaluation Criteria: Proposals for funding will be ranked in
consideration of certain factors. They are, in order of importance:
Includes provisions for measurable, documented results
that may be shared with State and local laboratories, FSIS, or its
agents.
Provides information useful for the testing of threat
agents in food.
Possesses basic food analytic resources to implement the
agreement.
States' willingness to participate in method validation,
proficiency testing, and surveillance programs.
Submit Proposals to: Wayne Ziemer, FERN, FSIS, 950 College Station
Road, Athens, Georgia 30605; telephone (706) 546-3591; facsimile (706)
546-3518; wayne.ziemer@fsis.usda.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frankie J. Beacorn, Biological Food
Security and Emergency Branch, Food Emergency Response Network
Division, FERN, FSIS, USDA, 950 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia
30677; telephone (706) 546-3578; facsimile (706) 546-3518;
frankie.beacorn@fsis.usda.gov.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that the
public and in particular minorities, women, and persons with
disabilities are aware of this notice, FSIS will announce it on-line
through the FSIS Web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2005_Notices_Index/
.
FSIS also will make copies of this Federal Register publication
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls, and other
[[Page 20521]]
types of information that could affect or would be of interest to
constituents and stakeholders. The update is communicated via Listserv,
a free electronic mail subscription service consisting of industry,
trade, and farm groups, consumer interest groups, allied health
professionals, scientific professionals, and other individuals who have
asked to be included. The update is available on the FSIS Web page.
Through Listserv and the Web page, FSIS is able to provide information
to a much broader, more diverse audience.
In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service
that provides an automatic and customized notification when popular
pages are updated, including Federal Register publications and related
documents. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/
and allows FSIS customers to sign up
for subscription options across eight categories. Options range from
recalls to export information to regulations, directives, and notices.
Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves and have the
option to protect their accounts with passwords.
Done at Washington, DC, on April 15, 2005.
Barbara J. Masters,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 05-7955 Filed 4-19-05; 8:45 am]