Food Protection Trends - May/June 2022 - 211

Over the past century, CES has become increasingly involved
in the promotion of food safety through the supply chain (38).
Initially, the role of food safety training in the food industry was
the responsibility of industry professionals. For example, in
preparation for the 1973 low-acid food processing regulations
issued after Clostridium botulinum outbreaks from canned foods,
Pillsbury taught the first hazard analysis (and) critical control
point (HACCP) courses to U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) inspectors in 1972 (7, 51). In 1994, the International
HACCP Alliance, based at Texas A&M University, was founded
to establish a more uniform food safety program for meat and
poultry operations to improve product food safety, bringing
together industry, academics, and government collaborators
with a common goal (49). Just a few years later, in 1998, the
FDA published the " Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards
for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, " serving as the standard for
voluntary market access audits-the Good Agricultural Practices
(GAPs) certification (42). To assist farmers in passing audits,
many universities received grants from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA's) Cooperative State, Research, Education,
and Extension Service's National Integrated Food Safety
Initiative (CSREES is now known as the National Institute of
Food and Agriculture [NIFA]) to develop GAPs educational
programs. Most notable of these was the creation of the National
GAPs Program in 1999, based at Cornell University (6).
Considered the most sweeping change to food regulation
since the 1938 Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Food Safety
Modernization Act (FSMA) (2011) further emphasized
the value and importance of CES. Broken into seven major
principles, FSMA outlines the minimum standards for food
suppliers: human food, animal food, produce, third party audit
verifications, protection against intentional adulteration, and
sanitary transportation (39, 44). This reform catalyzed many
opportunities for CES to provide regulatory literacy to producers,
while advancing their compliance with the legislation.
Since then, CES continues to collaborate closely through
industry, government, and academic consortia to tackle educational
opportunities such as Foreign Supplier Verification
Programs for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals;
Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis
and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food; Current
Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and RiskBased
Preventive Controls for Animal Food; Mitigation Strategies
to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration; and
Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding
of Produce for Human Consumption (Produce Safety Rule)
to further align the regulations set by government, industry
needs, and academic research. For instance, the Produce Safety
Alliance (PSA), a cooperative agreement (grant 12-25-A5357)
between Cornell University, USDA, and FDA, provides
produce safety education and technical assistance to producers
who must comply with the Produce Safety Rule (32). The PSA
also has leveraged its regulatory literacy to serve as an educational
resource repository for applying Produce Safety Rule
regulation. For example, the first pilot PSA " grower training "
for the Produce Safety Rule was held for 33 growers in 2015
(29). Since then, the PSA Grower Trainings, often taught by
CES educators in collaboration with state departments of agriculture,
have educated more than 40,000 domestic and 20,000
international participants (34).
Importantly, CES also provides food safety training for food
handlers and consumers. In recent years, changes made to the
2017 FDA Food Code indicate that the Person in Charge of
a foodservice operation must be a Certified Food Protection
Manager (43). In addition, a Certified Food Protection
Manager must pass a food safety exam approved by the
American National Standards Institute and the Conference
for Food Protection (1, 41). This significant shift in training
expectations requires involvement of CES in outreach and
training to these audiences in recognized education programs
such as ServSafe, Safe Plates, and others (23, 37). CES also
spearheads an assortment of educational opportunities for
consumers such as the Master Food Volunteer program,
Cooking for Crowds, and home preservation courses.
CES promotes food safety nationally and internationally
through consumer education (e.g., home food preservation,
safe food handling practices), training and assistance for the
food industry and regulators (e.g., FSMA training, HACCP
certifications, food entrepreneurship initiatives), 4-H youth
programs, targeted research, and the dissemination and
adoption of science-based resources and technologies for various
audiences. CES continues to evolve to address the needs of
the public, meeting the critical food safety challenges that exist
within our global food and agriculture systems. However, to
adapt, progress, and effectively serve its clientele in an everevolving
world, challenges facing CES must be recognized and
appropriately addressed. By adopting new tools, learning new
skills, and reallocating limited resources, CES personnel continue
to embrace opportunities and overcome challenges. Based on a
roundtable with CES experts on the topic of " Revitalizing the
Future of Food Safety Extension " held at the 2019 International
Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting, this article
details this imperative. Experts in this discussion included Dr.
Melissa Chase (Consumer Food Safety Program Manager and
Extension Specialist, Virginia Tech), Dr. Courtney Crist (Assistant
Extension Professor, Mississippi State University), Dr. Catherine
Cutter (Professor and Assistant Director of Food Safety &
Quality Programs-Penn State Extension, The Pennsylvania State
University), Dr. Connie Fisk (Produce Safety Program Manager,
Washington State Dept. of Agriculture; Former Produce Safety
Alliance Northwest Regional Extension Associate, Cornell
University), and Dr. Channah Rock (Professor and Extension
Specialist, The University of Arizona).
CHALLENGES FACED BY EXTENSION LEADERS
Over the past century, CES has undergone many systemic
changes, expanding its reach to impact a range of stakeholders
from farmers to consumers. Through this evolution, CES has
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