This article is the first in a series featuring the UF/FSHN Extension Programs. Read the other articles in the series to learn more about these essential community service programs. Today’s topic: food safety.

Research and teaching are the two essential pillars of exceptional universities. Yet for over 100 land-grant colleges and universities in the United States, a third pillar exists: Extension. This public service role is designed to combine pioneering research and outstanding teaching with community outreach, resulting in a powerful trifecta of generating and “extending” vital resources.

Extension offices offer science-based research in verbal, written, and electronic communications targeted for their specific audiences. The Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) Department at the University of Florida specializes in Food Science (flavor chemistry, fermentation, food safety, sensory sciences, and industry outreach and product development) and Nutrition Sciences Extension programs. In this FSHN Extension feature, Dr. Keith Schneider discusses his role in educating stakeholders on food safety and food defense through training events and education materials.

Tell us about your Extension program.

The focus of my program has been on food safety, with particular emphasis on produce safety and the regulations surrounding it. My program is influenced by the number and frequency of foodborne illnesses associated with the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables. My ongoing research and Extension programs examine etiologic factors, contamination mechanisms, intervention strategies, and the production of Extension educational materials for industry, farmers, and regulators.

What are some of the most common challenges your community faces?

Implementing produce safety regulations is a challenge. Most people don’t know how much work goes into food safety and how many regulations exist to protect our food. We spend a lot of time training farmers, packers, and producers on the regulations.

However, we have only a small cadre of trainers and thousands of farmers. For our constituents, the food producers, the time and money spent on food safety is the challenge. You can’t charge for food safety, so it’s unrecoverable costs. Most consumers will buy the cheapest product; thus, if you spend a lot of money on food safety, you cut into your profits. The costs are not passed on to the consumer.

What support do you offer to address these challenges?

UF (and our other land-grant and NGO partners) provide food safety training at a reduced cost, if not free. We also train trainers, increasing the number of people who can reach out to people who need help. Our group at UF conducts about 40 training and educational events each year. That is almost one event a week.

It’s incredible how often we’re in front of our constituents, training, offering one-on-one assistance, and working with grower groups to help create a food safety culture. Our goal is to make food safety training not only something they need to do, but something they want to do.

What is the most challenging situation you’ve come across?

There’s so much misinformation on the Internet originating from bloggers, TikTok, and other non-peer-reviewed sources that consumers often get confused or misled, which can lead to people getting sick or worse. So, for me, competing with misinformation is the biggest challenge.

For example, I might get a call from a reporter about a food safety topic, and I’m giving my take on the topic that’s opposite to a source they saw on the Internet. I have to point out, respectfully, that that information is not backed up by any scientific rigor; it’s just somebody’s opinion. Sometimes that makes people mad, and there’s a bit of backlash. But that’s what I’m here for.

What are you most proud of during your time with the Extension program?

UF is one of the four regional food safety centers funded by the USDA every three years. We’ve been the lead institution for the southeastern region since 2015 and the lead institution for the US since 2018. Dr. Michelle Danyluk spearheaded the first iteration of this grant, and I’ve had the privilege of heading the Southern Regional Center for FSMA Food Safety Training and Outreach for the last three iterations of this program.

In addition to being the lead institution for the southeastern US, UF is the Lead Coordination Center for the whole US, helping to bring all four regional centers together and maintain a cohesive group, all working together to spread the message of food safety across the country. In the southeast alone, we have 20 partner institutions all working towards a common goal. We also help keep the line of communication open with the other three regional centers. We’ve been the LRCC since 2018. I appreciate the trust the other three regional centers and the USDA have in the people here at UF to allow us to keep leading this effort.

What’s the best way for someone to get in touch to learn more about the program and take advantage of this support?

I’ve been talking about the SC/LRCC, but that’s not all we do for Extension; that’s just one of our programs. We have so many talented people working at UF that it would be hard to talk about all of them without name-dropping a hundred professors and Extension specialists/agents. Everything from food safety (my area) to plant diseases, human nutrition and dietetics to animal science. I believe this incredible variety of programs makes UF special.

To get in touch, contact the program that meets or addresses your needs. For UF’s produce safety activities, you can visit the Southern Center for FSMA Training website to find the latest regulatory training events. For general information, you can go to Ask IFAS to search through thousands of fact sheets on any number of topics. And there are so many more resources (e.g., Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse).

If you have a specific inquiry, you can always reach out to an Extension specialist; every state has at least one land-grant institution. In Florida, we have two: UF and FAMU. We also have offices and agents in every county, as well as off-campus facilities including 12 Research and Education Centers, five Research and Demonstration Sites (that include two biological stations), a research forest, and an 850-acre dairy farm.

Extension Resources

Learn more about FSHN’s renowned programs below.

Undergraduate Programs:
Dietetics
Food Science
Nutritional Sciences

Graduate Programs:
M.S. Dietetic Internship Program
M.S. Food Science and Human Nutrition
Ph.D. Food Science
Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences

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