Food Protection Rapid Response Teams (U18)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is being issued to announce the availability of up to five cooperative agreements to be awarded under a Limited Competition. These cooperative agreements are intended to develop, implement, and sustain an all-hazards food emergency Rapid Response Team (RRT) concept, encompassing both food and feed protection programs, within the national integrated food safety system. Preparing for and effectively responding to foodborne outbreaks, documenting results in a transparent manner, and identifying potential preventive practices are all significant elements of an effective RRT. Implementing the RRT concept facilitates long-term improvements to the national food safety system by strengthening intra-agency and interagency collaboration, both to improve effectiveness of multiagency responses and to build programs on nationally shared best practices and tools. This will be accomplished through the provision of funding for program improvement and will require extensive cooperation and coordination with critical state agencies, FDA District Offices, and other FDA program offices. Effective leveraging of resources and harmonization of efforts will also require collaboration with relevant initiatives, including those of federal partners (e.g., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)), national initiatives and associations, and State and local partners.