Salmonella Risk Assessment - FSIS | FSIS 02152022

Opportunity Information: Apply for FSIS 02152022

The Salmonella Risk Assessment - FSIS opportunity is a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) cooperative agreement focused on strengthening the scientific foundation behind new Salmonella control policies for poultry. FSIS, through its Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) and the Risk Assessment and Analytics Staff (RAAS), is building more comprehensive, production-to-consumption risk assessment models that can estimate how different control strategies in the poultry supply chain would translate into fewer human Salmonella illnesses. The work is meant to directly support FSIS risk management and regulatory decision-making by turning data and science into practical estimates of public health impact.

At the center of the project is FSIS development of two separate quantitative risk assessment models: one for chicken and one for turkey. These models are designed to simulate the pathway from on-farm conditions through processing and ultimately to consumer exposure, and then connect those exposures to predicted illnesses. The models are intended to evaluate multiple policy-relevant levers, including changes in Salmonella prevalence (how often it is present), Salmonella levels (how much is present, using enumeration concepts rather than simple presence/absence), and the presence of specific Salmonella subtypes that are considered higher public health concern. FSIS also wants the models to be able to compare the impact of pre-harvest controls (on the farm), post-harvest controls (during slaughter and processing), and combined approaches, as well as potential criteria or performance standards that cap prevalence/levels/subtypes or require specified reductions in indicator organisms used to reflect process control.

A major emphasis of the cooperative agreement is bringing in information FSIS does not routinely have in a comprehensive way: current, real-world industry data from chicken and turkey production and processing. FSIS is looking for collaborators who can work with poultry companies to gather, manage, and analyze data that may be proprietary or treated as confidential business information. The goal is to characterize what the industry is actually doing today, how widely different interventions are used, and what measurable effects those interventions have on Salmonella prevalence, levels, and subtypes at different points in the system. The announcement highlights that especially valuable inputs include subtype and level data, because FSIS is considering risk management options that may target specific subtypes or require improvements in Salmonella load rather than only reducing positive rates.

The kinds of industry data FSIS is seeking span both pre-harvest and post-harvest areas. On the farm side, examples include the proportion of operations using controls such as vaccination, biosecurity improvements, changes to feed or water treatments, probiotics or prebiotics, adjustments to bird density, bedding and waste management practices, and other targeted Salmonella strategies, along with information on pre-harvest testing approaches and results. On the processing side, examples include how effective various interventions are (and whether effectiveness differs by subtype), operational practices such as staging or scheduling higher-risk flocks, and the use of chemical interventions, high-pressure processing, irradiation, ozone, or other treatments referenced in FSIS guidance. FSIS is also interested in testing programs and lab results (pathogens and indicator organisms), sampling frequency, serotyping, concentration/level measurements, whole genome sequencing usage, plant volumes, line speeds, incoming product specifications (including Aerobic Plate Count and Salmonella metrics), the type and quality of laboratory support (including accredited labs and AOAC methods), process control indicators and how plants respond to results, HACCP validation and verification information, lotting practices, and bird characteristics that might influence colonization risk.

Another key technical gap FSIS wants help addressing is dose-response modeling. In simple terms, dose-response describes how the amount of Salmonella someone is exposed to affects the chance they get sick. FSIS notes it has previously relied on a World Health Organization dose-response relationship that pools all Salmonella together, without distinguishing differences among subtypes. Because FSIS wants to evaluate control strategies that may focus on particular subtypes, the agency is seeking collaborators who can develop one or more dose-response methodologies that account for subtype-to-subtype differences in virulence. Applicants are expected to propose credible approaches for connecting subtype-specific doses to illness risk, supported by relevant experience in dose-response development.

The cooperative agreement also lays out strict expectations around confidentiality and publication review. Any papers, publications, or other products must be provided to USDA in draft form before being released outside authorized users, both to protect confidential information and to ensure the outputs stay consistent with the agreed scope. The collaborator may summarize or excerpt findings, including in materials that USDA may publish, but is explicitly prohibited from identifying any retailer or manufacturer, releasing retailer- or manufacturer-identifiable details (such as brands or product names), or disclosing market share information at the retailer, brand, or item level. FSIS acknowledges that data may be proprietary and explains that, under USDA Freedom of Information Act rules, FSIS will make disclosure determinations and will consult submitters when confidentiality status is not clear, aiming to protect confidential business information to the extent permitted by law.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary cooperative agreement (not a standard procurement contract) under CFDA 10.479, with one expected award and an award ceiling of $295,000. The performance period listed is June 2022 through March 2023. The opportunity encourages multidisciplinary teams and explicitly encourages applications from minority serving institutions, reflecting the breadth of expertise needed across epidemiology, microbiology, poultry production, risk modeling, statistics, and data governance.

Overall, the grant is aimed at filling two practical needs for FSIS as it modernizes Salmonella policy for poultry: (1) obtaining and synthesizing high-quality, representative industry data on Salmonella levels, prevalence, subtypes, and control practices across chicken and turkey production and processing, and (2) advancing the science of subtype-aware dose-response so the resulting chicken and turkey risk assessment models can more realistically estimate how proposed interventions or standards would reduce human illnesses.

• The Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Salmonella Risk Assessment - FSIS" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.479.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 02, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 15, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $295,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for FSIS 02152022

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