Source:  PRESS RELEASE, 6/23/11

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has awarded research, education and extension grants to 24 institutions to reduce food-borne illnesses and deaths from microbial contamination.

"While the U.S. food supply is generally considered to be one of the safest in the world, approximately 48 million Americans become sick each year due to food-borne illnesses," said Catherine Woteki, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. "These grants support the development of a more complete understanding of the sources and implications of microbial contamination and will promote the adoption of new food safety strategies and technologies. The goal is to greatly improve the safety of our food supply and ultimately save lives."

Projects were funded in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.  In N.C.  the following projects received funding: 

North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, N.C., $499,980 - This project will determine if a combination of physico-chemical and enzymatic processing conditions can reduce or inactivate food allergens by targeting their vulnerabilities as proteins.

University of North Carolina, Charlotte, N.C., $50,000 - This grant will sponsor a conference focused on vibrio bacteria, often associated with undercooked seafood, in the environment and their implications for public health and food safety.


A full list of awardees can be found here.

The grants are awarded through USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and administered through NIFA. AFRI food safety grants promote and enhance the scientific discipline of food safety, with an overall aim of protecting consumers from microbial, chemical, and physical hazards that may occur during all stages of the food chain, from production to consumption.