The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to contribute to the knowledge base of and development of food safety systems globally due to the increasingly diverse and complex food supply. This cooperative agreement will: 1) enhance and broaden FDAs ability to address global food safety and public health issues associated with food, 2) provide opportunities to leverage additional resources among WTO member countries, and3) support the FDAs Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and its International Food Safety Capacity Building Plan, which emphasizes the concept of preventing food safety- related problems before they occur and the importance of establishing strong relationships and mutual support among all stakeholders, including multilateral organizations, to improve worldwide food safety. 4) Support global research and capacity building to improve best practices to build effective food safety systems in low- and middle-income countries
