History

The Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) was originally authorized with the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Recognizing the importance of providing training – particularly for smaller, more economically vulnerable operations, Congress created FSOP to fund outreach, education, training, and technical assistance projects that directly assist small and mid-sized farms, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, and small-scale wholesalers. FSOP’s focus is to ensure that training is tailored to the diverse needs of these businesses and the production systems they use, particularly sustainable production systems, including organic and conservation practices.

Fifteen years since FSMA passed and ten years into FSOP grants, this program remains critical as FDA continues to roll out new regulations to fully implement FSMA, with mixed results. Yet, funding for FSOP has remained stagnant – and even decreased …

Read More »