Coordinating Agricultural Development & Innovation (CADI) Armenia Exchanges: U.S. Food Safety Regulations and Standards Training Program | Apply Online

FAQs: CADI Armenia Exchanges - U.S. Food Safety Regulations and Standards Training Program (USDA/FAS)

1) What is this grant opportunity?

This is a discretionary USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) grant opportunity to design and deliver an intensive, short-term training program in the United States focused on U.S. food safety regulations and standards for a small cohort of Armenian professionals.

2) What is the name of the program?

The program is the Coordinating Agricultural Development and Innovation (CADI) Armenia Exchanges: U.S. Food Safety Regulations and Standards Training Program.

3) What is the core purpose of the exchange?

The core purpose is capacity building: helping participants understand how the U.S. food safety system works in practice and how it aligns with internationally recognized, science-based measures used to facilitate trade. The intent is for participants to leave with a clearer working understanding of U.S. regulations and standards and be better positioned to implement, administer, and comply with comparable approaches in Armenia.

4) What longer-term outcomes does USDA/FAS want to support?

USDA/FAS describes longer-term aims that include strengthening bilateral agricultural trade, reducing technical and regulatory barriers affecting U.S. agricultural commodities and products, and supporting greater harmonization of Armenian systems with evidence-based international standards used in global commerce.

5) Where will the training take place?

The training will take place in the United States. The successful applicant is responsible for proposing the U.S. location(s) where the training and site visits will occur.

6) How long is the training expected to last?

The program is intended to run for 1 to 2 consecutive weeks.

7) How many participants will be trained?

The exchange will serve nine participants.

8) Who are the participants?

Participants are mid- to senior-level Armenian professionals drawn from both the public and private sectors.

9) What mix of participants is USDA/FAS expecting?

USDA/FAS anticipates a mixed cohort composed of: two association or local NGO staff, four government officials, one researcher from an agricultural university, and two private sector or agribusiness representatives.

10) Who recruits and selects the participants?

USDA/FAS will recruit and select the participants after the Notice of Funding Opportunity closes.

11) What is the role of the successful applicant?

The successful applicant is responsible for designing and delivering the training program, including developing the agenda and arranging the U.S.-based training location(s) and site visits.

12) Is the program designed to be academic only?

No. The mixed participant group signals the training is intended to be practical and cross-system, connecting regulators, laboratories, industry, and civil society to see how compliance and enforcement operate across a food system and how government and industry coordinate their roles.

13) What major topic areas must the training agenda cover?

The agenda is expected to cover U.S. regulatory architecture and key standards and frameworks underpinning it, plus hands-on implementation topics. Specific topic areas called out include international standards concepts (including Codex-related concepts), SPS measures, laboratory quality standards (such as ISO 17025), traceability and recordkeeping, and risk-based approaches to food safety (risk assessment, analysis, and risk management).

14) Which U.S. regulatory entities should be included in the curriculum?

The curriculum should explain roles and responsibilities of major U.S. regulatory entities, including FDA, APHIS, EPA, and FSIS.

15) Does the program need to address WTO SPS and TBT processes?

Yes. The training should describe how interagency processes handle WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) notifications.

16) Does the curriculum need to cover biotechnology and biosafety?

Yes. Regulatory approaches to biosafety and biotechnology are listed as requested content.

17) Is Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) required content?

Yes. The training should include detailed coverage of FSMA implementation and its practical impacts.

18) Does the program distinguish food safety from food quality?

Yes. The curriculum should cover the distinction between food safety and food quality, including how grading and quality standards function, with AMS provided as an example.

19) What labeling topics should be included?

U.S. labeling rules are requested content, including nutrition labeling, allergen declarations, and country-of-origin labeling.

20) What preventive food safety systems should be addressed?

The training is expected to include widely used preventive systems like HACCP and the development and use of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs).

21) What parts of the supply chain should be covered?

The program should address food safety risks throughout distribution, transport, and storage, as well as traceability and recordkeeping expectations across the supply chain.

22) What risk and evaluation methods are expected to be discussed?

The agenda should introduce qualitative and quantitative methods used to evaluate risk and should discuss risk assessment, analysis, and risk management techniques.

23) Are GMP, GAP, and GLP included?

Yes. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) are explicitly listed.

24) Will inspections and enforcement be covered?

Yes. The training should address inspection processes (what inspectors look for and how inspections are carried out) and the consequences of non-compliance, including recalls, fines, and other enforcement actions.

25) How much emphasis is placed on laboratory science?

A significant portion of the requested content centers on laboratory science and incident response, reflecting how food safety decisions are supported by testing and public health systems.

26) What hazards and testing topics should be included?

The program is expected to address microbiological and chemical hazards, contamination pathways, and laboratory quality standards (including ISO 17025).

27) Does the program cover outbreak response and recall management?

Yes. The requested content includes the mechanics of public health alerts, recall management, and how agencies and companies respond to foodborne illness outbreaks.

28) Are food safety audits part of the training scope?

Yes. Food safety audits are listed as content to incorporate.

29) Are food preservation and food additives included?

Yes. The program should incorporate food preservation and food additive rules, including colorings.

30) Are emerging technologies expected to be discussed?

Yes. Emerging technologies and innovations in food safety are included, with examples such as blockchain-enabled traceability and advanced testing methods.

31) How does international alignment fit into the program?

International alignment and trade facilitation are explicit themes. The training should compare U.S. food safety standards with international standards and explain why harmonization matters for market access.

32) Are import/export and residue concepts included?

Yes. The training should cover maximum residue levels and import and export requirements, and it should address pre-registration and post-registration concepts where relevant.

33) Does the program address certification and equivalence in SPS contexts?

Yes. The agenda should discuss how certification and equivalence concepts function in SPS contexts.

34) Are monitoring, evaluation, and dissemination expected elements?

Yes. The training should cover monitoring and evaluation approaches, how training and guidance are disseminated, and related implementation considerations.

35) Are field visits required or encouraged?

USDA/FAS encourages field visits to food processing sites and laboratories so participants can see how requirements are communicated and implemented in day-to-day operations.

36) Are meetings with industry and associations part of the recommended design?

Yes. Meetings with producer cooperatives, associations, and companies are encouraged to show how the private sector and government partner on compliance, enforcement readiness, and continuous improvement.

37) Are case studies included in the recommended training approach?

Yes. Case studies of food safety incidents, including what went wrong and how corrective actions were managed, are recommended.

38) Does the program include employee and consumer education topics?

Yes. Discussion of employee training programs and consumer education related to safe food handling is included among the recommended components. The role of nutrition and food safety education is also noted as part of the broader content.

39) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to state cooperative institutions or other U.S. colleges and universities as defined at 7 U.S.C. 3103.

40) What does the eligibility requirement imply about expected capabilities?

The eligibility language indicates USDA/FAS expects an academic or cooperative extension-type host with the capacity to organize instruction, coordinate expert speakers, and arrange industry and laboratory site visits.

41) What is the CFDA number for this grant?

The opportunity is issued as a grant under CFDA 10.960 (Agriculture).

42) What is the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling is $110,000.

43) How many awards does USDA/FAS expect to make?

The opportunity states an expectation of one award.

44) What is the closing date for the Notice of Funding Opportunity?

The closing date listed is May 14, 2026.

45) What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is USDA FAS 10960 0700 10 25 0010.

46) When will participant recruitment and selection occur relative to the closing date?

USDA/FAS will recruit and select participants after the Notice of Funding Opportunity closes.

47) Is the training expected to include both regulatory overview and practical implementation?

Yes. The description emphasizes both: understanding the regulatory and institutional framework (including major agencies, standards, and trade-related processes) and hands-on implementation (preventive controls, inspections, laboratories, incident response, and operational compliance systems).

48) What are the main intended benefits for Armenia?

Participants are expected to be better positioned to implement, administer, and comply with comparable food safety approaches in Armenia, informed by U.S. practice and science-based international measures that support trade and harmonization.