Nov 11, 2020
CCOF foundation gets $318K to support grower food safety
Congressman Jimmy Panetta recently announced a $318,300 federal grant for the California Certified Organic Farmer Foundation in Santa Cruz.
The CCOF Foundation will use the USDA grant to lead a multi-state initiative to support organic food processors through food safety compliance training and education, according to a news release the congressman.
“When Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011, it unintentionally left some of our small and mid-scale organic processors without the resources to live up to the standards of this law,” Panetta (D-Carmel Valley, Calif.) said in the news release. “When the federal government enacts legislation to keep our food supply chain safe, it also should ensure that our producers and processors have the tools necessary to uphold the law. This federal funding will help ease that burden so that our local organic farmers and food processors can implement the law and continue their success.”
The CCOF will make good use of the funds, according to the news release.
“Our 1,400 certified organic processor handlers are excited to have access to this material, and we’re proud to partner with the USDA to support food safety compliance of producers,” Jessy Beckett Parr, CCOF foundation director, said in the release.
The federal funding helps the CCOF Foundation create a culture of informed food-safety decision-making, consistent compliance, and a more complete understanding of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in California, Washington and Oregon’s small and mid-scale organic food processor communities, according to the release.
The funding was awarded as part of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture distribution of 24 grants totaling $7.6 million in federal funding for food safety training and education for small and mid-sized producers and processors impacted by the FSMA, according to the release.
