The FDA is offering this Cooperative Agreement grant to support the Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS) at UC Davis for food safety and defense initiatives.

FDA is announcing its intention to receive and consider a single source application for the award of a cooperative agreement in fiscal year 2023 to the University of California-Davis (UC Davis) to support the Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS).

The purposes of this continued support are to:

1. Carry out multidisciplinary applied research that addresses “real world” issues related to food safety and food

defense, agricultural practices, and the impact of agricultural practices on subsequent food processing associated

with FDA-regulated products;

2. Develop and implement outreach and communication programs to facilitate the utilization of the knowledge produced by the research program;

3. Provide opportunities to leverage additional resources among U.S. government agencies, non-governmental

organizations, universities, industry, and consumers to achieve real-world solutions that address food safety and

food defense issues.

4. Support the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) through research, education, and

outreach with particular emphasis on the science behind the standards associated with the produce safety and

preventive controls regulation.