Gourmet News

USDA Invests $21.6M to Develop Transformative Agricultural Solutions

Published November 16, 2022

U.S. Department of Agriculture Chief Scientist Chavonda Jacobs-Young announced an investment of $21.6 million in scientific research for small businesses to further develop transformative agricultural solutions.

“Small businesses, particularly rural and agricultural enterprises, play a vital role in the American economy. They embody the entrepreneurial spirit that America was built upon,” said Jacobs-Young, who is also USDA’s Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. “This latest investment strengthens federal research and development support for small businesses, including women- and minority-owned businesses, and enhances USDA’s efforts to rapidly scale innovation across the food supply chain.”

This investment for transformative agricultural solutions is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation Research program that targets early-stage private-sector projects. Grant funding will support 34 research projects that propose innovative and disruptive solutions on topics ranging from food science and nutrition to natural resources conservation.

“The projects we’re supporting demonstrate scientific originality, technical feasibility and strong commercial potential,” said Acting NIFA Director Dr. Dionne Toombs. “With this research, our small business partners are helping solve some of our most vexing agricultural problems.”

The agricultural solutions grants are supporting businesses across the country, from Washington to New York. Examples of funded projects include:

Improperly cleaned soft-serve ice cream machines can be a source of contamination and foodborne illnesses. Inventherm of Baton Rouge, La., is developing commercial soft serve ice cream and slush machines that use a novel, more cost-efficient sanitizing process. The new process eliminates contamination and will save machine owners thousands of dollars annually. This Phase II funding will allow an advanced prototype to be built and brought to the commercial market.

When wildfires rage, it’s important to be able to predict their behavior in real time. Hangar Alpha LLC of New York, N.Y., has developed real-time predictive tools for fire behavior. These tools will help with cost-saving planning and prevention measures, and proper allocation of resources as a fire is occurring. This funding will allow the company to rapidly develop and commercially produce predictive fire analytics for the public sector and expand into the tech-forward private sector.
The pear industry faces significant issues delivering ready-to-eat fruits to consumers. Mirtech Inc. of North Brunswick, N.J., has developed a “dual-regulator system” that will provide new market opportunities otherwise unavailable to the pear industry due to consumer dissatisfaction with either over-ripening or under ripening of pears. The system will not only provide “ready-to-eat ripeness” at the retail level, but will add 10 to 12 days of shelf life to benefit both retailers and consumers.

View the complete list of the 34 funded Small Business Innovation Research projects:

Forests and Related Resources (2 awards, $1,299,734)
Plant Production and Protection (Biology) (1 award, $650,000)
Animal Production and Protections (3 awards, $1,899,999)
Conservation of Natural Resources (5 awards, $3,249,849)
Food Science and Nutrition (5 awards, $3,192,035)
Rural and Community Development (4 awards, $2,498,235)
Aquaculture (3 awards, $1,889,445)
Biofuels and Biobased Products (3 awards, $1,950,000)
Small and Mid-Size Farms (4 awards, $2,499,790)
Plant Production and Protection (Engineering) (4 awards, $2,549,665)

NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY 2022, NIFA’s total investment was $2.2 billion.

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USDA Invests $24M for Beginner Farmers, Ranchers

Published November 16, 2022

U.S. Department of Agriculture Chief Scientist Chavonda Jacobs-Young announced a nearly $24 million investment across 45 organizations and institutions that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers.

“Investing in the professional development of our nation’s newest farmers and ranchers will help our food and agriculture sectors to flourish from the ground up,” said Jacobs-Young, who is also USDA’s Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. “Strengthening and growing our next generation pipeline is vital to the continued success of American agriculture and prosperity of rural communities.”

This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program that supports a wide range of professional development activities across an array of important topics for new farmers and ranchers, such as managing capital, acquiring and managing land, and learning effective business and farming practices.

“We recognize that beginning farmers and ranchers have unique needs for education, training and technical assistance. Their success, especially in the first 10 years, often hinges on access to reliable, science-based information and the latest educational resources so they can improve their operations’ profitability and sustainability long-term,” said NIFA Acting Director Dr. Dionne Toombs. “This investment will benefit a rising generation of beginning farmers and ranchers that truly reflect the tapestry of American agriculture and the many diverse communities we serve.”

NIFA’s BFRDP funds three types of projects:

Standard Projects to new and established local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives that address the unique local and regional needs of beginning farmers and ranchers.
Educational Team Projects to develop seamless beginning farmer and rancher education programs by conducting evaluation, coordination, and enhancement activities for Standard Projects and other non-funded beginning farmer programs.
Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse to make educational curricula and training materials available to beginning farmers and ranchers and organizations who directly serve them.

Examples of the 45 newly funded BFRDP projects for FY 2022 include:

Corporacion Juvenil Para El Desarrollo de Comunidades Sosten: This project will increase the number of farmers and ranchers through a strong recruitment program to include socially disadvantaged farmers/ranchers/veterans in Puerto Rico. It will provide services in entrepreneurship, business training, technical assistance, and natural resource management. ($676,133)
Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust: This project will focus on outreach and individualized educational services, as well as technical assistance, to increase understanding of sound business practices among Black Indigenous People of Color beginning farmers. Expected outcomes include increased knowledge in business planning, financial literacy, and soil health among BIPOC beginning farmers. This project will foster collaboration with underserved producers in New England. ($524,040)
Federation of Southern Cooperatives: This project will cooperatively mentor new and beginning farmers and ranchers in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina for regional markets. Impacts will include greater climate-smart agricultural knowledge and practices; and training on land tenure, continuity of family farming operations, stronger farm and forest management, income-earning strategies, estate planning, farm or business plan implementation, and aggregation of small-scale landowners through cooperative development. ($750,000)

NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2022, NIFA’s total investment was $2.2 billion.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America.

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FDA Supports Innovation of Cell Culture Technology in Foods

Published November 16, 2022

The Food and Drug Administration put its support behind cell culture technology for foods intended for human consumption. FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf and the director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition issued this statement:

“The world is experiencing a food revolution and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply. As an example of that commitment, today we are announcing that we have completed our first pre-market consultation of a human food made from cultured animal cells.

“The agency evaluated the information submitted by UPSIDE Foods as part of a pre-market consultation for their food made from cultured chicken cells and has no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion.

“Before this food can enter the market, the facility in which it is made also needs to meet applicable U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA requirements. In addition to the FDA’s requirements, including facility registration for the cell culture portion, the manufacturing establishment needs a grant of inspection from USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for the harvest and post-harvest portions and the product itself requires a USDA mark of inspection.

“The regulation of cell culture technology is being done collaboratively and in close partnership with USDA-FSIS for food made from cultured livestock or poultry cells. Under the March 2019 formal agreement, both agencies agreed to a joint regulatory framework wherein the FDA oversees cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation. The FDA’s approach to regulating products derived from cultured animal cells involves a thorough pre-market consultation process. While this is not considered an approval process, it concludes when all questions relevant to the consultation are resolved. A transition from the FDA to USDA-FSIS oversight will take place during the cell harvest stage. USDA-FSIS will oversee the post-harvest processing and labeling of human food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry. This closely coordinated regulatory approach will ensure that cell-cultured products derived from the cell lines of livestock and poultry meet federal regulations and are accurately labeled. Both agencies are working with manufacturers to ensure these products meet all applicable FDA and USDA-FSIS requirements.

“Advancements in cell culture technology are enabling food developers to use animal cells obtained from livestock, poultry, and seafood in the production of food, with these products expected to be ready for the U.S. market in the near future. The FDA’s goal is to support innovation in food technologies while always maintaining as our first priority the safety of the foods available to U.S. consumers. The FDA has extensive experience in food safety assessment across a wide range of food production technologies, including the use of biological systems and biotechnology. The agency is evaluating new substances all the time as industry practices evolve to meet consumer demands and preferences. Food made with cultured animal cells must meet the same stringent requirements, including safety requirements, as all other food regulated by the FDA.

“The FDA is ready to work with additional firms developing cultured animal cell food and production processes to ensure their products are safe and lawful under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. We also plan to issue guidance to assist firms that intend to produce human foods from cultured animal cells to prepare for pre-market consultations. The published draft of this guidance will provide a formal opportunity to the public for comment. We are already engaged in discussion with multiple firms about various types of products made from cultured animal cells, including those made from seafood cells, which will be overseen solely by the FDA. We continue to encourage firms to enter into dialogue with us often and early in their product development phase, well ahead of making any submission to us.”

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