Produce Safety Alliance Receives Reagan-Udall Foundation Leadership Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA honored the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) with the Reagan-Udall Foundation Leadership Award, one of its 2025 Innovations in Regulatory Science & Policy awards, at a Dec. 9 ceremony in Washington, D.C.

PSA is a collaborative initiative between Cornell University, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Innovations in Regulatory Science & Policy awards recognize outstanding contributions to regulatory science and public health in three categories: leadership, innovation and advocacy/policy.

“The PSA has played a pivotal role in developing and delivering science-based education, outreach and training programs that help growers, regulators and industry implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule,” said the Reagan-Udall Foundation in a Sept. 18 release. “Its efforts have transformed produce safety practices nationwide, supporting both public health and agricultural communities.”

Betsy Bihn, PSA director, and Donna Clements, PSA coordinator and Northeast Regional Extension associate, accepted the honor on behalf of the alliance.

“This recognition reflects our team’s commitment to accuracy, collaboration, and science-based produce safety extension,” Produce Safety Alliance said in a Dec. 23 statement. “By meeting growers where they are and building authentic, trusted relationships across regions, languages and communities, we work to support safe, wholesome fresh produce production and protect public health. We are grateful for this recognition and proud of the collaboration that makes this work possible.”

Other honorees included Critical Path Institute (C-Path), an independent, nonprofit organization established in partnership with the FDA to accelerate the development and regulatory review of medical products, and Loren A. Eng, president of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation.

"Our 2025 honorees exemplify vision and innovation, and their work is already making a lasting difference in the lives of individual Americans — by enhancing the safety of fresh produce, improving the efficiency of developing new treatments and assuring the patient is at the center of product development," said Susan C. Winckler, Reagan-Udall Foundation CEO.

A video with Bihn’s acceptance speech can be found here.