CUSTOMIZING CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR SMALL AND VERY SMALL FOOD FACILITIES ACROSS THE U.S.

The long-term goal of this project is to improve the capacity of small and very small food facilities across the United States to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) regulatory requirements. Our overarching hypothesis is that targeting and customizing cGMP training will increase compliance with federal regulations and protect public health while contributing to food business continuity and expansion. Specifically, we propose to:Conduct cGMP compliance readiness assessments in small and very small food facilities in four different U.S. geographical regions.Determine cGMP preferred training and education delivery methods for food workers in small and very small food facilities across the U.S.Examine barriers to the consistent and sustainable implementation of cGMP in small and very small food processing operations across the U.S.Reconcile the content of GMP training and education materials with the most commonly reported GMP violations in food processing operations.Customize, develop, and/or expand current cGMP training materials in English and Spanish suitable for small and very small food manufacturers across different U.S. geographical regions.