Integrated Food Safety System Training Delivery and Development

About This Grant

Integrating Food Safety System Training Delivery and Development: Project Summary The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) will lead and implement the activities under this cooperative agreement to strengthen mutual reliance across jurisdictions and advance a nationally Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS) and to support FDA’s implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). AFDO’s efforts will enhance regulatory workforce development, improve inspectional consistency, and modernize training delivery for retail food, manufactured food, produce safety, and laboratory programs, which ultimately improves public health protection of the food supply. AFDO has been a trusted partner to state regulatory food programs since 1896 and is recognized as a national leader in IFSS training. The Principal Investigator and project team include seasoned professionals with extensive experience in regulatory program management, instructional design, and FDA course delivery. Their expertise spans curriculum development, adult learning, and field-based training for state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) regulators. Major activities under this cooperative agreement include: • Designing and delivering FDA-aligned training courses using FDA/OTED’s Instructional Systems Design (ISD) methodology to ensure consistency, quality, and instructional integrity. • Expanding access to foundational and advanced training through virtual instructor-led, asynchronous, and hybrid formats. • Delivering signature high-impact programs such as AFDO’s Inspector Boot Camp, which offers field-informed, scenario-based foundational training, and expanding a library of over 30 FDA-aligned courses covering technical, regulatory, and soft skill competencies. • Conducting stakeholder-informed research to identify emerging training needs and barriers to participation. • Enhancing digital learning tools, including gamified modules and scenario-based simulations to increase participant engagement. • Maintaining and improving training infrastructure, including course tracking systems, instructor onboarding, evaluation processes, and tools like LearnED. • Collaborating with subject matter experts and state program managers to ensure training reflects real-world regulatory conditions. • Promoting workforce development through outreach to colleges and universities and supporting experiential learning opportunities. Through these efforts, AFDO will help build a more capable, consistent, and confident regulatory workforce, aligned with FDA’s FSMA goals and the broader vision of a unified national food safety system.