FAST Food Safety in Latin America, Latin America and Caribbean

Project Title: FAST Food Safety in Latin America

Target Country: Barbados, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru

Principal Partner: Food Safety Consulting & Training Solutions, LLC (Food Safety CTS)

Funding Source: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Collaborators: USDA Foreign Agriculture Service

Project Description:

Through the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability Training program (FAST) program, focused in Latin America works to promote the goals of FSMA put forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to meet food export requirements to the United States. It also strives to strengthen food safety components of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems in targeted countries. The Food Safety Consulting & Training Solutions, LLC, is a main partner in this project as they provide food scientists, graphic designers, translators, and language editors to make the information available in Latin American countries. This is accomplished through messaging, monitoring, and evaluations. Additionally, Penn State evaluates the FAST program's FSMA Rule Training-of-Trainers (TTT) activity, and collects information and data from companies, related agencies, and governments analyzing food safety conditions. They also indirectly provide socialization of the FAST TTT activities. The data gathered on the Latin American region is made to be readily and electronically available to collaborating organizations.