Flexible Funding Model - Advancing Domestic Mutual Reliance Through Strengthened Infrastructure Development and Maintenance for Manufactured Food Regulatory Programs

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to advance manufactured food regulatory program infrastructure capacity and capability to achieve and maintain conformance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) and advance mutual reliance in food safety. The primary objectives will assist new programs in developing foundational infrastructure necessary for effective food safety regulation and provide support in meeting the established standards outlined in the MFRPS. In addition, the objectives will aid existing programs in maintaining their high-quality regulatory programs in full conformance with the MFRPS and provide support for audit and training programs to ensure continued excellence in regulatory operations. This initiative aims to strengthen partnerships between manufactured food programs and the FDA through enhanced collaboration and shared regulatory responsibilities in co-regulated facilities. The cooperative agreement will facilitate shared regulatory data across multiple domains, including regulatory inspections, inventory management and reconciliation, enforcement actions and compliance activities, consumer complaints, and other pertinent regulatory activities and outcomes. By fostering mutual reliance through enhanced collaboration, coordinated data sharing, and synchronized enforcement efforts, this cooperative agreement will enable manufactured food programs and the FDA to jointly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of food safety oversight.