The University of Minnesota’s National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) has received renewed funding from the Department of Homeland Security to address the threat of intentional contamination of the nation’s food supply.
The $20 million in funding over six years continues the efforts of NCFPD, which was launched in 2004 to serve as a nationwide and international consortium of academic, private and public sector partners that develop practical measures of defense against food contamination.
NCFPD brings together government agencies and the private sector to focus on approaches to reduce vulnerabilities and enhance supply chain resiliency.
Research projects underway include novel technologies for real-time detection of toxins in food, tools for identifying critical infrastructure, modeling systems for use in preparedness and training, and new approaches to communicate risk to the public before, during and after a food contamination event.
“This renewed funding is a clear reflection of the excellent work that our investigators and stakeholders have done in the past six years and appropriately raises expectations for even better tools and strategies to protect the food system moving forward,” says Director Shaun Kennedy.
For more information about NCFPD, visit www.ncfpd.umn.edu.
