Overview
The USDA National Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) invites you to participate in the 2025 National Project Directors' Meeting. Over the two-day program, the Lead Regional Coordination Center (LRCC) and four regional centers (Southern (SC), North Central (NC), Northeast (NECAFS), and the Western (WC) will host FSOP grant awardees from around the country, both virtually and in person, as they discuss their accomplishments and success stories.
Despite being a hybrid meeting of virtual and in person, we hope that you will benefit from this meeting and enjoy hearing about all the incredible work performed around the country by so many dedicated food safety educators. We hope that you join us!
This work is supported in part by USDA NIFA grant no. 2021-70020-35740 and 2024-70020-42861. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Detailed Agenda
| Day 1 | May 28, 2025 | ||||
| 7:30am | Morning Refreshments | Foyer - 14th Floor Pre-Function Space | ||
| Welcome and USDA-NIFA & FSMA Regional Center Updates | ||||
| Moderator: Keith Schneider | ||||
| Time (ET) | Title | Presenter | Institution | |
| 8:30am | Welcome and Overview of Meeting | Keith Schneider | University of Florida, LRCC | |
| 8:35am | USDA-NIFA Update | USDA Representative | ||
| 8:45am | Southern Center Update | Michelle Danyluk | ||
| 8:55am | NECAFS Update | Elizabeth Newbold | ||
| 9:05am | NRC Update | Ellen Johnsen | ||
| 9:15am | WRCEFS Update | Sam Kilgore | ||
| Session 1 | ||||
| Moderator: Armitra Jackson-Davis | ||||
| Time (ET) | Title | Presenter | Institution | |
| 9:25am | An Integrated Approach to Developing Extension Outreach Curricula for Home Food Preservation, Retail Food Safety, and Cottage Foods: A Food Safety Extension Network Effort | Carla Schwan | University of Georgia | |
| 9:40am | Food Safety by Design: Adding Value, Ensuring Safety of Food Products Produced by Small Processors | Kantha Channaiah | University of Missouri | |
| 9:55am | Bridging the Gap: Creating FSMA-PSR and GAP-Inspired Food Safety Outreach Program for Underserved Urban Growers in Illinois | Pratik Banerjee | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | |
| 10:10am | Leveraging Augmented Reality Tools for Produce Safety Education and Training | Manreet Bhullar | Kansas State University | |
| 10:25am | Transformative Food Safety Learning 1.0: Using Virtual Simulation to Engage Small- and Very-Small Food Processors | Yaohua (Betty) Feng | Purdue University | |
| 10:40am | Morning Break | Foyer - 14th Floor Pre-Function Space | ||
| 10:55am | Evaluation Update | Matt Benge | University of Florida | |
| 11:05am | CONTACT Grant Update | Taylor O’Bannon | University of Florida | |
| Session 2 | ||||
| Moderator: Ellen Johnsen | ||||
| Time (ET) | Title | Presenter | Institution | |
| 11:15am | Sanitation Control Practitioner Program (SCPP)- The Development of an Education Sanitation Program for Small Processors | Amanda Kinchla | University of Massachusetts, Amherst | |
| 11:30am | Training Beginning, Socially Disadvantaged, and Organic Specialty Crop Producers in Food Safety / FSMA Compliance to Access Intermediated Markets | Emily Round | New Entry Food Hub | |
| 11:45am | De-Mystifying FSMA: Creating a Food Safety Education and Training Program to Increase Market Access for Black Producers and Chefs in the Mid-Atlantic US | Marcus Roberson | Good Earth Therapy | |
| 12:00pm | Group Working Lunch | Starling Room | ||
| Session 3 | ||||
| Moderator: Elizabeth Newbold | ||||
| Time (ET) | Title | Presenter | Institution | |
| 1:45pm | Developing a Hazards and Controls Guide to Support Safe Seaweed Production and Marketing | Razieh Farzad | University of Florida | |
| 2:00pm | Expanding Food Safety Resources for Small and Mid-Size Processors of Low Moisture Foods | Abigail Snyder | Cornell University | |
| 2:15pm | Young Farmer Food Safety Education Project: Developing and Implementing Food Safety Outreach Activities for WV High School Horticulture Instructors as Supplement to the Farm-to-School Program | Nettie Freshour | West Virginia University | |
| 2:30pm | FSMA Traceability Requirements in Retail Food Establishments: Development of an Educational Training Program | Ellen Shumaker | North Carolina State University | |
| 2:45pm | Afternoon Break | Foyer - 14th Floor Pre-Function Space | ||
| 3:00pm | Instructions for Breakout Groups | Elizabeth Newbold | ||
| Time (ET) | Breakout Sessions | Facilitator | Room | |
| 3:05pm | Breakout #1 | Elizabeth Newbold | Wilson Plover North | |
| Breakout #2 | Taylor O’Bannon | Wilson Plover South | ||
| Breakout #3 | Billy Mitchell | Skylark | ||
| Breakout #4 | Stephanie Brown | Skylark | ||
| 4:05pm | Breakout Report Out | |||
| 5:00pm | Poster Session and Reception | Foyer - 14th Floor Pre-Function Space | ||
| 6:30pm | Dinner on Own | |||
| Day 2 | May 29, 2025 | |||
| 8:00am | Morning Refreshments | Foyer - 14th Floor Pre-Function Space | |
| Updates from Associations | |||
| Moderator: Keith Schneider | |||
| Time (ET) | Title | Presenter | Institution |
| 8:30am | Day 2 Welcome | ||
| 8:40am | Produce Safety Alliance | Yulie Meneses | Produce Safety Alliance |
| 8:50am | Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance | Jason Wan | FSPCA - Institute for Food Safety and Health IIT |
| 9:00am | Local Food Safety Collaborative | Billy McCarthy | National Farmers Union |
| 9:10am | Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative | Kaycee Captain | Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative |
| Session 4 | |||
| Moderator: Michelle Danyluk | |||
| Time (ET) | Title | Presenter | Institution |
| 9:20am | Equipping Small Processors to Thrive in Larger Markets: A Hybrid Approach to Support Training Efficacy | Alexis Hamilton | Virginia Tech University |
| 9:35am | GLEAN (Game Learning to Educate and Advance kNowledge): Transformative Food Safety Training for Farmers Market Vendors | Kristen Gibson | University of Arkansas |
| 9:50am | Leveraging Partnerships Among North Carolina Extension Programs to Build Food Safety Educational Capacity and Expand Industry Accessibility to Resources | Lynette Johnston | North Carolina State University |
| 10:05am | Enhancing Food Safety for Underserved Farmers in Rural Mississippi | Nicole Bell | Mississippi Association of Cooperatives |
| 10:20am | Morning Break | Foyer - 14th Floor Pre-Function Space | |
| 10:35am | Empowering Faculty and Staff from Minority-Serving Institutions to Successfully Write Grants | Angela Walla | Texas Tech University |
| 10:50am | Minimizing Postharvest Loss, Improving Product Quality, and Food Safety in the Black Belt Food Corridor | Kristin Woods & Terri Lewis | Tuskegee University |
| 11:05am | FSMA and Business Development Training to Underserved Small Food & Beverage Entrepreneurs and Future Capacity Building | Jennifer Stone | Georgia Tech Research Corporation |
| 11:20am | FSMA Training Cohort for Small Georgia Food Producers | Jennifer Stone | Georgia Tech Research Corporation |
| 11:35am | Developing an Engaging Produce Safety Add-On Training for Soilless Growing Operations | Laurel Dunn | University of Georgia |
| 11:50am | Meeting Final Remarks / Adjourn | Keith Schneider | University of Florida |
| 12:00pm | Grab and Go Lunch | Foyer - 14th Floor Pre-Function Space | |
Registration
This meeting is supported in part by USDA NIFA grant no. 2021-70020-35740 and 2024-70020-42861.
What does the in-person attendance include?
In-person registration provides participation in the meeting, a printed program and abstract book, light morning, mid-morning, and afternoon refreshments, a served lunch and a poster session social (Wednesday), and light morning refreshments with a boxed lunch (Thursday).
The deadline to cancel is Monday, May 5th
What does virtual attendance include?
Virtual registration provides access to the live-stream of the presentations, participation in Q&A via chat, and the program and abstract book PDF. Please note that virtual participation does not include streaming of the breaks, lunch, breakouts, or Poster Session.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, May 27th
Venue
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
2900 Bayport Drive
Tampa, FL 33507
PH: (813) 874-1234
Visit Website
| Discounted Group Rate | ||
| Room Type | Standard King | Double-double |
| Rate | $189.00 | $189.00 |
- The rate being offered to attendees is exclusive and may not be used in conjunction with any advertised or unadvertised promotional specials existing or yet unreleased.
- This discounted room rate is available one day prior the meeting (based on hotel availability).
Hotel Reservation Deadline: Monday, May 5, 2025
Travel
Browse below for some helpful information about transportation to and from the meeting.
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
7 minutes | 3.5 miles
St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport (PIE)
21 minutes | 14.7 miles
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)
1 hour | 53.6 miles
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
1 hour 30 minutes | 90.8 miles