USDA Seeks University Research Center for School Lunch Safety Improvements

As part of its initiative to improve school lunch safety, the USDA is accepting grant applications from universities to establish a center of excellence for school food safety research. The agency will grant one award of $800,000 for FY 2010 to establish the research center.

The center's mission will be "to provide science-based support to improve the safety of foods provided through the nutrition assistance programs, particularly those served in schools and child care settings," according to USDA. "The center will be established at a university that has an interdisciplinary group of faculty available to address food safety issues, including but not limited to, expertise in food safety, food microbiology, foodservice management, agricultural production (both livestock and plants), psychology, sociology, research design, and statistics."

The grant is part of a series of initiatives, announced by USDA in early February, to improve the safety and quality of food purchased for the National School Lunch Program and other federal nutrition assistance programs, including new food safety purchasing requirements for its beef suppliers and a thorough review of the entire program by the National Academies of Science (NAS).

Full information and application are available at USDA (pdf)

Source: Marler