The Food Safety Research Information Office (FSRIO) at the USDA National Agricultural Library was mandated by the United States Congress to support the needs of the research community in accordance with H.R. 2534 Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reauthorization Act of 1997, SEC. 615. FSRIO was formally launched on July 2, 2001.
FSRIO meets its congressional mandate through collecting, organizing and disseminating food safety research information via this Web site which features the Research Projects Database showcasing research activities funded by U.S. and International government agencies and other non-governmental organizations. FSRIO also provides a free reference service. Key information products include:
- Food Safety Research Projects Database - Provides ready access to the largest searchable collection of food safety research projects across agencies and organizations. The Database showcases more than 7,700 projects funded by U.S. and international government agencies as well as non-governmental organizations, and is an ongoing effort to collaborate with agencies worldwide to collect food safety research information. For researchers, this Database offers an efficient insight into research currently underway that does not yet have published results, serving as an adjunct to literature searches.
- Automated Peer-Reviewed Journal Feeds - Provides easy access to the latest food safety research publications, including ahead of print. The articles generated by these feeds are grouped in different ways (by pathogen, journal, agency, or ahead of print) to provide unique access to the latest food safety research.
- Pending USDA ARS Food Safety Publications: Provides an updated list of pending publications (accepted for publication) from the USDA ARS National Program 108: Food Safety. Click on the pending publication title to find the accepted date, journal, authors, interpretive summary and related research projects in the Research Project Database. Recently published articles from this National Program, including ahead of print, may be viewed here.
- Education and Training Materials Database - a compilation of more than 800 food safety education and training materials on a variety of topic areas for professionals and consumers. These materials are developed by universities; private industry; and local, state, and federal agencies and include curriculums, on-line trainings, fact sheets, posters, games, DVDs, presentations, podcasts, and more. The database was recently enhanced through a partnership with the University of Missouri.
The FSRIO program is a collaborative project with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service. It is part of the Food Safety Information Center (FSIC) established at the NAL in 2003 to efficiently use library resources, develop stronger collaborations among the library's food safety programs, and disseminate information on a variety of food safety topics
FSIC is supported by the NAL and participates in a cooperative agreement with the University of Maryland's Nutrition and Food Science Department. It also partners with other agencies and organizations to develop, maintain and deliver a variety of information products.
Legislation Establishing FSRIO
H.R.2534 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reauthorization Act of 1997, SEC. 503. Food Safety Research Information Office and National Conference. Specifically, this Congressional mandate states:
- Establishment and purpose: The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a Food Safety Research Information Office at the National Agricultural Library. The Office shall provide to the research community and the general public information on publicly funded, and to the extent possible, privately funded food safety research initiatives for the purpose of--
- preventing unintended duplication of food safety research; and
- assisting the executive and legislative branches of the Government and private research entities to assess food safety research needs and priorities.
- Cooperation: The Office shall carry out paragraph (1) in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, public institutions, and on a voluntary basis, private research interests.