A UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor will use grant funding to educate small-scale farmers about food safety this spring.
Soohyoun Ahn, who works in UF’s food science and human nutrition department, recently received a $163,284 grant given by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The money was a part of a $4.7 million grant to educate farmers in preventing food contamination.
To teach others, Ahn will expand her education program in April. She’s been working with small-scale farmers for the past three years, she said.
In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, the biggest reform in food safety laws in more than 70 years. According to the FDA, the law allows the administration to mandatorily recall food.
The legislation went into effect this year, Ahn said.
Ahn said she hopes to teach small-business owners how to develop food-safety plans and how to identify and prevent hazards in food manufacturing so they can comply with these new requirements.
“Most small-business owners aren’t prepared for this,” Ahn said. “At a certain point, it becomes overwhelming.”
Jodi Williams, the national program leader for food safety at NIFA, said Ahn was awarded the grant because she addressed both preventing food from being unsafe and helping those who grow and produce food, while most applicants focused on produce safety itself.
“The ultimate goal is to provide education, training and outreach to individuals who will address the new legislation,” Williams said.
