About FSRIO
The Food Safety Research Information Office (FSRIO) supports the research community by collecting, organizing, and disseminating food safety information in accordance with the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998.
Explore FSRIO
An Introduction to FSRIO
Mission
The Food Safety Research Information Office (FSRIO) is aligned with the Research, Economics, and Education (REE) mission area of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It was created by the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C.A. & 7654 Sec. 615) and was formally launched on July 2, 2001.
The mission of FSRIO is to provide the research community and the general public with information on publicly funded, and to the maximum extent practicable, privately funded food safety research initiatives.
The purpose of the FSRIO information products is to prevent the unintended duplication of food safety research and to assist the executive and legislative branches of the Federal Government and private research entities with assessing food safety research needs and priorities. FSRIO works in partnership with a working group that consists of scientific experts in food safety across the USDA.
Key Information Products
Food Safety Research Projects Database
The Research Projects Database provides users with information on current food safety research projects from both U.S. and international government and non-government organizations.
Food Safety Research Publications
A digital resource on food science designed to build custom searches and quick links to NAL Search on produce safety research, Salmonella research, and natural toxins.
Funding Opportunity Announcements
- USDA-FSIS Graduate Student Food Safety Fellowship. Application deadline is 8/14/2024.
- U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) grants for scientists, graduate and postdoc fellows.
- ARS student opportunities from usajobs.gov for interns, and those seeking postdoctoral fellowships. Learn about other Temporary and Term positions.
- The HHS, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) application portal.
- USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Food Safety Outreach Program grants.
- USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture Risk Management Education (ARME) grants.
What's New
- USDA NIFA funded research at the University of MD lead by Dr. Pradhan and his team use machine learning to analyze the genomes of salmonella, listeria and E.coli from publicly available databases to find genetic indicators. These include specific genes, mutations, or higher or lower levels of gene expression that help them persist in the environment.
- Growers can find county-level temperature changes through a new zone map on the USDA ARS Freeze Date Tool.
- Dairy producers can enroll in the USDA 2024 Dairy Margin Coverage Service.
- The USDA Economics, Statistics and Market Information System (ESMIS)’s World Agricultural Production database includes "monthly reports on crop acreage, yield and production in major countries worldwide."
- The USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023-2026: Cultivating Scientific Innovation [PDF, 48 pages] presents a near-term vision for transforming U.S. agriculture through science and innovation, and outlines USDA’s highest scientific priorities.
News
Fromm Family Foods Voluntarily Recalls Bonnihill BeefiBowls Food for Dogs Due to Potential Foreign Material Contamination
MEQUON, WIS. (DECEMBER 3, 2025) - FROMM FAMILY FOODS has issued a recall of 300 cases of Bonnihill Farms BeefiBowls Beef Recipe gently cooked frozen dog food due to potential foreign plastic contamination.Wegmans Recalls Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese Due to Possible Health Risk
Wegmans Food Markets is recalling Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese with Wegmans' scale labels due to the potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immunePrairie Farms Announces Recall of Prairie Farms Gallon Fat Free Milk
Prairie Farms is announcing a recall of select Prairie Farms Gallon Fat Free Milk produced at its Dubuque, Iowa facility and distributed to Woodman's stores in Illinois and Wisconsin. Some of the product may contain food-grade cleaning agents, which may cause illness if consumed. Only a specific sePRIME FOOD PROCESSING LLC ISSUES ALLERGY ALERT ON UNDECLARED (MILK) IN LAVA BUN W/ SALTED EGG YOLK AND LAVA BUN WITH GREEN TEA FLAVOR
Prime Food Processing LLC of Brooklyn, NY is voluntarily recalling 2,243 cases of two dessert bun varieties because the packaging does not declare milk in the "Contains" allergen statement as required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The milk in these products is derived from unsaltedSHATA TRADERS INC RECALLS CHEF BRAND MILK PAN 24cm BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK
Shata Traders Inc of Brooklyn, NY is recalling Chef Brand Milk Pan 24 cm, because it has the potential to be contaminated with significant levels of lead (Pb) which may leach into food. Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status, and there is no known safe level of exp
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) manages the Predictive Microbiology Information Portal (PMIP) [ars.usda.gov] to assist food companies in the use of predictive models. This portal contains:
- The Pathogen Modeling Program (PMP) [ars.usda.gov] a package of models that predicts the growth and inactivation of foodborne bacteria under variable environmental conditions.
- The ComBase [ars.usda.gov], a database of quantitative microbiological or kinetic data collected from different laboratories.
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) maintains the Kitchen Companion [PDF, 50 pages] and the Food Safety Basics resources [fsis.usda.gov].
- North Dakota State University (NDSU) has a Food Storage Guide [PDF, 16 pages] available online.
- Food Marketing Institute maintains the FoodKeeper [fmi.org] application with helpful hints about food preparation, handling, and storage.
- National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) maintains a website that focuses on canning and other means of preservation [nchfp.uga.edu].
Biosensor technology is used for the rapid detection of pathogens in our food supply. Please visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's New Era of Smarter Food Safety [fda.gov] resource for more information.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are the United States government agencies that regulate food safety.
- USDA
- FDA
- CDC
- EPA
Contact Us
Use the National Agricultural Library's Ask a Question form.
Questions are answered by FSRIO Technical Information Specialists with expertise in food safety.
Phone: (301)504-5022
Sign Up
To sign up for the ARS Food Safety and News Listserv go to USDA Agricultural Research Service (govdelivery.com)