Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaboration (U18) [Clinical Trial Not Allowed]

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) is announcing the availability of cooperative agreements to be awarded under Limited Competition to non-profit membership national retail food organizations/associations focused on retail food safety initiatives. The intended outcome of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to leverage the resources and strengths of national retail food safety organizations/associations to collaboratively advance retail food protection and reduce foodborne illness. The resulting cooperative agreements will provide support to advance retail food safety by researching, identifying, and promoting strategies to promote industry's active managerial control (AMC) of foodborne illness risk factors. AMC means the purposeful incorporation of specific actions or procedures by industry management into the operation of their business to attain control over foodborne illness risk factors. It embodies a preventive rather than reactive approach to food safety through a continuous system of monitoring and verification. This includes, but is not limited to, promoting the development and implementation of industry food safety management systems and prerequisite food safety culture necessary to achieve AMC of foodborne illness risk factors. These cooperative agreements will also advance retail food safety by promoting implementation and full conformance of the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) by state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) jurisdictions, supporting full adoption of the most recent FDA Food Code, enhancing communication, and sharing of best practices, and improving foodborne illness outbreak response.