Innovative Food Defense Projects (R18)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued by the Food and Drug Administration under Grant mechanism (R18), is to solicit applications from institutions/ organizations that propose to develop Innovative Food Defense programs within the United States. The program should encompass 3 broad strategies in its food defense activities (1) Awareness (Prevention/Preparedness); (2) Response; and (3) Recovery. Food defense is a term used to describe activities associated with protecting the nation�s food supply from intentional contamination. The Food and Drug Administration has adopted 3 broad strategies that encompass its food defense activities:(1) Awareness (Prevention/Preparedness): Increase awareness among federal, state, local, and tribal governments, and the private sector, to better understand where the greatest vulnerabilities lie and develop effective protection/mitigation strategies to shield the food supply from intentional contamination; (2) Response: Develop the capacity for a rapid coordinated response to a food borne terrorist attack; and (3) Recovery: Develop the capacity for a rapid coordinated recovery from a food borne terrorist attack. Stakeholders must determine how to most effectively apply resources within this continuum of activities to best protect the food supply chain and consumers. With regard to prevention and preparedness tools and information, the FDA has provided numerous documents, tools, links and references on the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition�s (CFSAN) website at www.cfsan.fda.gov/fooddefense