FST researchers (Harris Lab) and the Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS) are partnering with FDA, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and agricultural stakeholders from the California Central Coast in the launch of a multi-year study to improve food safety through enhanced understanding of the ecology of human pathogens in the environment that may cause foodborne illness outbreaks, specifically focusing on leafy greens. 

FST's Dr. Erin DiCaprio, Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist in Community Food Safety, has been awarded a National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant to assist small-scale fruit and vegetable processors to be in compliance with food safety regulations such as the Food Safety Modernization Act.  The grant will fund new low-to-no-cost online education and in-person workshops which will be offered in both English and Spanish by the team of collaborators, which also includes Cal-Poly Pomona, Purdue, and the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.