# Strengthening Retail Food Regulatory Programs and Reducing Foodborne Illnesses through National Partnerships

> **NIH FDA U18** · ASSOCIATION OF STATE/TERR HLTH OFFICIALS · 2022 · $500,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) will establish an operational
framework with the Retail Food Safety Collaborative (Collaborative) that will be based on a
mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship to achieve common goals in retail food safety.
ASTHO, in partnership with the retail food regulatory associations, will support the
Collaborative’s six specific aims:
1. Develop a national Food Code adoption strategy, including the Food Code Adoption
 Tool Kit.
2. Improve the approach, competency, and food safety culture in the regulatory
community.
3. Increase enrollment, engagement, and conformance in the Voluntary National Retail
 Food Regulatory Program Standards (Program Standards).
4. Improve foodborne outbreak investigation methods.
5. Increase the number of establishments that have well-developed and implemented Food
 Safety Management Systems.
6. Develop a strategy to enhance communication and better tell our collective story.
This proposal’s overall objective is to support and enhance efforts by the Collaborative to
reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. ASTHO plans to meet this objective by carrying out
discrete activities focused on the six specific aims and by engaging ASTHO’s membership
(state and territorial health commissioners) and four important ASTHO peer networks: 1) Public
Health Lawyers Peer Network, 2) State/Territorial Legislative Liaison Peer Network, 3)
State/Territorial Environmental Health Directors and 4) State Tribal Liaisons Peer Network.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10612671
- **Project number:** 1U18FD007739-01
- **Recipient organization:** ASSOCIATION OF STATE/TERR HLTH OFFICIALS
- **Principal Investigator:** Abraham George Kulungara
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $500,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2025-07-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10612671

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10612671, Strengthening Retail Food Regulatory Programs and Reducing Foodborne Illnesses through National Partnerships (1U18FD007739-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10612671. Licensed CC0.

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