Food Safety AOE Team Meeting

April 24, 2000 · 10:30am - 1:30pm

162 Food Safety & Toxicology Building

Michigan State University

 

 

Participants: Les Bourquin, Ellen DeFay, Toby Ten Eyck, Melissa Williment, Carol Wruble, Jennifer Wagester, Chris Vanderpool, Craig Harris, Cathy Pisano, Lisa Treiber, Roberta Rodgers, Sam Varghese, Oliver Duran, Roger Brook, Karen Shirer, and Cheri Booth.

 

10:35am Les Bourquin opened the meeting with an overview of the meeting agenda and participant introductions.

 

Report on the January 6-7, 2000 Meeting

 

            The Food Safety AoE Team developed a mission statement, a vision statement, and curriculum through the Dacum process at the January meeting.  The Dacum results were distributed during the meeting.  Minutes from the January meeting and copies of the mission and vision statements will be mailed to the Food Safety AoE Team members in the near future.

 

Overview of Section 401 and Section 406 Funding Opportunities

 

Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS), Section 401, Due May 22, 2000 (A copy of the RFP was provided.)

            The Food Safety AoE Team members reviewed the RFP for the IFAFS funds.  The following areas were determined to be possible focus areas for a FY2000 proposal: 1) Program Area 11, Agricultural Biotechnology. 2) Program Area 12, Food Safety and the Role of Nutrition in Health.  (Please see the handout “Highlights of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Request for Proposals: Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems, FY2000" for a summary of the RFP.) 

 

National Food Safety Initiative (NFSI), Section 406, Due June 6, 2000 (A copy of the RFP was provided.)

            The RFP for the NFSI was reviewed.  The following areas were identified as possibilities for proposals: 1) Priority 5, Improving the Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. 2) Priority 6, Food Handler Education and Training for Consumer and Youth. 3) Priority 7, Food Handler Education for High-risk and Hard-to-reach Audiences. 4) Priority 8, Food Handler Education for Commercial and Non-Commercial Audiences. 5) Priority 9, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Model Development, Testing and Implementation. 6) Priority 11, National Coordination of Integrated Food Safety Programs and Resources. (Please see the handout “Highlights of the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program National Food Safety Initiative FY2000 RFP" for a summary of the RFP.)

 

Current Competitive Grants (Extension) Awarded to Food Safety AoE Team Members

 

FSQI   

Corresponding NFSI

Category

End Date  Award    PI
Plan of Work (6,7,8)   9/2000 $30K Bourquin
Fresh Juice HACCP Alliance (9)        9/2000      $109K Bourquin, Hirsch
         
         
 
(Univ. of Conneticut)

                                                                    

                                                         

FSQI   

Corresponding NFSI

Category

End Date  Award    PI
Food Handler Education for
Consumers & Youth
     (6)  9/2001   $100K  Varghese
Food Safety Education
for Bay Mills
(8,9)         9/2000         $50K Booren, Kinnunen
         
         

                                                                         

Potential  Food Safety AoE Team Proposals

           

IFAFS, Program Area 11

Chris Vanderpool, Toby Ten Eyck, Larry Busch, Craig Harris and other colleagues are currently working on a proposal for an integrated multidisciplinary project to develop ex ante methods of assessment, initially for several emergent plant biotechnologies, but applicable to any developing technology.  These will permit all interested parties, including the developers of the new technologies, to choose among alternative possible forms of the new technologies.  Ex ante methods will permit authoritative groups to decide whether to proceed with the development and implementation of the new technologies.  Ex ante methods will enable developers to modify the emergent technologies to avert potential negative impacts.


The techniques for ex ante assessment will be developed through the collaborative efforts of biophysical and social scientists.  Some of the support for this effort will come from graduate research assistants in the social and biophysical sciences.  Students from both areas will develop an understanding of the techniques for generating knowledge in the other area, will learn how to speak the language of the other area, and will come to understand the culture of the other area.


On the basis of the ex ante assessment techniques, issue templates suitable for a wide range of audiences will be developed.  These materials will allow them to evaluate the environmental, health, social and economic consequences of specific plant biotechnologies.  The graduate research assistants from both the biophysical and social sciences will work jointly on the development of these materials.


The materials will be adapted to various audiences, and presented through workshops to national and international groups.  Workshops will be particularly designed to train teachers and non-governmental organization leaders, who will have opportunities to implement the materials and evaluation processes in their work. A follow-up evaluation will investigate how the materials and activities ultimately reach citizens and consumers, and what impact they have on the decisions of these groups.

Anyone interested in being involved with this proposal can contact either Chris Vanderpool or Craig Harris.

 

IFAFS Program Area 12.1/12.2

            Carol Wruble is interested in looking at the factors that influence food choice, perhaps in regards to functional foods.  Another component of this project could be posting the information on the web and evaluating if and how information might be used to make behavior changes.  Those working on the proposal could work with Michigan agricultural products, state government partners, and specific high-risk audiences to test the web technology and look at the food choices that people make in relation to their health.  Chris Harris suggested adding target groups to some of the work that Toby Ten Eyck has done in this area.  The factors identified as major elements in the food choices that people make could then be used to enhance the effectiveness of Extension education. 

            Carol Wruble, Toby Ten Eyck, and all those interested in this potential proposal will meet on Friday April 28th at 12 noon in the 4-H Children's Garden at MSU.  Anyone who would like to be involved in this project is welcome to attend.

 

NFSI Priority 11

            Les Bourquin will create a proposal for this priority.  Anyone who would like to provide input regarding this proposal is welcome.  The National Food Safety Database that was created at Florida State University has not been updated or reviewed.  The proposal could propose creating a database that could be shared and updated periodically.

 

NFSI Priority 6 & 7

            The Food Safety Task Force is interested in creating a proposal that could fall into either priority 6 or 7.  A meeting will be held 10am May 5th at the MSUE Washtenaw County Extension Office in Ann Arbor to work on creating the proposal.  Ellen DeFay will coordinate this meeting.  All those who are interested in working on a proposal for food handler education are welcome.

           

NFSI Priority 8

Les Bourquin will contact Jan Seitz, Mary Bellows, May Mong, and Al Booren to discuss the possibility to putting together a proposal for this area.

 

Other Potential Proposal Opportunities

            Les Bourquin will talk with the group who is looking to submit a proposal to the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor Fund about adding an outreach component to their research on blueberries, crab apples, and dry beans and submitting it to IFAFS.  Les will also contact Bob Gravani (Cornell Univ.) about potentially submitting a proposal to either IFAFS and/or NFSI with collaboration from the consortia on Good Agricultural Practices Training for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Producers.

 

Upcoming Events

May 12th Agriscience Teachers Food Safety Training (Contact Sam Varghese)

            June 20th “Ask The Experts” Training Workshop  (Contact Carol Wruble)

            July 7th Food Safety Alliance Meeting (Contact Ed Mather)

July 11th-12th Risk Communication in Food Safety Conference (Contact Toby Ten Eyck)

July 17th-21st International Short Course in Food Safety (Contact Institute for International Agriculture)

August 22nd-24th Seafood HACCP Course (Contact Ron Kinnunen)

October 10th-12th Fall Extension Conference  (Contact Cynthia Cook-Straus)

 

The next Food Safety AoE Team Meeting will be held June 19th at 9:30am in room 1240 Anthony Hall at Michigan State University.  Detailed information regarding this meeting is forthcoming.

 

1:50pm Meeting Adjourned.