The Center for Produce Safety announced 14 new grant awards valued at $2.8 million. The research awards are directed at answering critical questions in specific areas of food-safety practices for fruit, vegetable and tree nut production; pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest handling; and co-management of food safety and the environment. The objective is to provide the produce industry with practical, translatable research data that can be used at all levels of the supply chain.

The broad range of the projects reflects the commitment of CPS's Partners in Research, a cross section of public and private partners. Contributing partners for these projects are California Department of Food & Agriculture, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Washington State Department of Agriculture, California Cantaloupe Advisory Board, California Leafy Greens Research Program, California Melon Research Board, California Pistachio Research Program, National Mango Board, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission and the CPS Campaign for Research.

"We're very encouraged and excited about this round of funded research projects," Stephen Patricio, chairman for the CPS board of directors, said in a press release. "The research being conducted at CPS is relevant to all points of the supply chain — farmers, shippers, handlers and consumers. The goal for CPS, and our contributing Partners in Research, is to keep fresh produce safe for everyone. I encourage industry stakeholders to continue their support of the Center for Produce Safety research programs."

One of the new industry partners in the award announcement is the National Mango Board. "The mango industry is grateful to be a partner in food safety with CPS," William Watson, executive director of the NMB, added in the press release. Their expertise and guidance helped shape a very strong research project that will help the mango industry's commitment to food safety."

The CPS Technical Committee, an advisory group that includes experts from industry, academia, government and non-governmental organizations, reviewed 48 proposals this year.

"CPS, its technical committee and partners in research have yet again demonstrated tremendous leadership and truly moved the ball forward on produce food safety," Jim Gorney, vice president of Food Safety & Technology at the Produce Marketing Association and chair of the CPS Technical Committee, added in the press release. "It has selected and funded an outstanding slate of produce safety research that will be impactful and valuable for the entire produce supply chain."

2014 RFP Grant Recipients

• Ana Allende, CSIC-Spain: Demonstration of practical, effective and environmentally sustainable agricultural water treatments to achieve compliance with microbiological criteria.
• Mary Anne Amalaradjou, University of Connecticut: Impact of wash water disinfectants on Salmonella enterica transfer and survival in mango packing facility water tank operations.
• Kelly Bright, University of Arizona: Enteric viruses as new indicators of human and cattle fecal contamination of irrigation waters.
• Alan Franklin, U.S. Department of Agriculture, APHIS WS: Contamination of leafy green crops with foodborne pathogens: Are wildlife a problem?
• Vincent Hill, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: Improved sampling and analytical methods for testing agricultural water for pathogens, surrogates and source tracking indicators.
• Michele Jay-Russell, University of California-Davis: Evaluation of falconry as an economically viable co-management strategy to deter nuisance birds in leafy green fields.
• Bradley Marks, Michigan State University: Improving pasteurization validation methods for pistachio processing.
• Maeli Melotto, University of California-Davis: Towards preventing internalization and persistence of human bacterial pathogens in fresh produce.
• Sam Nugen, University of Massachusetts: Rapid bacterial testing for on-farm sampling.
• Steven Rideout, Virginia Polytechnic University: Investigation of risk criteria and foodborne pathogen reduction practices for irrigation water.
• Trevor Suslow, University of California-Davis: 1) Rapid tests to specifically differentiate clinically significant from environmental STEC towards reducing unnecessary crop destruction. 2) Evaluation of an alternative irrigation water quality indicator
• Marc Verhougstraete, University of Arizona: Optimal strategies for monitoring irrigation water quality and the development of guidelines for the irrigation of food crops.
• Qin Wang, University of Maryland: Validation of chlorine level in sanitization system to avoid cross-contamination.

To date, CPS has funded 100 projects valued at $16.4 million. The awards were made possible by funds provided by partners and contributors to the CPS Campaign for Research.