Native American Tribes Outreach, Education, and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FSMA Compliance: Tribal Food Safety Alliance

Project Abstract of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas: RFA-FD-23-032, Renewal-Native American Tribes Outreach, Education, and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FSMA Compliance To address these specialized needs, the federal Indian law and agricultural law experts at the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) at the University of Arkansas have worked in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC), and the University of Arizona's (UAZ) Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program (FRTEP) to establish the nation's first Tribal Food Safety Alliance (TFSA) through previous Cooperative Agreement. The TFSA was established by IFAI, IAC, and UAZ in 2020 to fulfill the following stated objectives: 1) provide training, education, and outreach to Indian Country stakeholders on rules promulgated by FDA pursuant to FSMA, with particular focus on the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) and Preventative Controls for Human Food Rules (PCHFR); and 2) address gaps in training for this stakeholder audience; and 3) identify culturally sensitive technical assistants and educational materials that are relevant to tribal produce growers, tribal food manufacturers. Our overarching goal for TFSA has and continues to be providing Native growers and food business owners across Indian Country with the kind of culturally appropriate training, education, and outreach on food safety that will help them be successful in the marketplace. This goal aligns well with FDA's goal through these agreements, to enhance the fundamental knowledge of food safety and especially on-farm good agricultural practices of tribal stakeholders subject to applicable FSMA regulations.