Overview

In 2019, USAID awarded $10 million to Purdue University, in partnership with Cornell University, to lead the first-ever Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety (FSIL).

Our work aims to enhance agricultural sustainability and resilience, as well as food security, for developing nations — with research and capacity development that increases the production of, and access to, safe and nutritious food.

Objectives

Our research and capacity development activities focus on four key objectives:

• Increase awareness of food safety issues, impacts and measures
• Build capacity to conduct localized research on food safety challenges
• Develop public-private partnerships, policies and networks for effective engagement
• Translate research into training, guidelines and commercialized products

Research Investments

In its first year, the Food Safety Innovation Lab leads foundational research grants — referred to as QuickStarts — with pre-identified partners in four initial countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kenya, and Senegal.

These QuickStarts incorporate country-wide and site-specific assessments, including:

• Mapping key stakeholders at all levels
• Cataloging food safety programs, practitioners and policies
• Initiating discussions of food safety research priorities

Future projects and activities will follow, funded by competitive requests for applications, associate awards, buy-ins and other investments.

For more information, please visit our website: https://ag.purdue.edu/food-safety-innovation-lab/

Contact: fsil@purdue.edu

Molly Webb, Managing Director of the Food Safety Innovation Lab mwebb@purdue.edu

Dr. Haley Oliver, Director of the Food Safety Innovation Lab hfoliver@purdue.edu