About Us
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a cooperative agreement in 2008 that established the Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS) in partnership with the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS), University of California, Davis. WCFS research, outreach, and education programs enhance FDA’s implementation of the prevention oriented activities outlined in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
- Conduct multidisciplinary applied research on pre-and post harvest food safety issues that will generate real-world solutions and enhance food protection for FDA-regulated products.
- Provide technical assistance to the farming community in adopting and complying with components of FSMA through outreach materials, food safety workshops, and educational programs for food producers, harvesters, processors and key stakeholders across the continuum of FDA-regulated foods.
- Build relationships with domestic and international partners to successfully leverage resources and maximize the ability to achieve research, education and outreach objectives.
Our Mission
The mission of the Western Center for Food Safety is to research the interface between production agriculture and food protection, identify real-world solutions to food safety challenges in these systems, and communicate new knowledge through outreach and education.
Other FDA Centers for Excellence
- Joint Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition (JIFSAN) at the University of Maryland
- Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) at the Illinois Institute of Technology
- National Center for Natural Product Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi
FDA Human Foods Program Center for Excellence Annual Report
- FDA HFP COE Annual Report 2023-2024 (PDF 3.1 MB)