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ARS Home » Nutrition, Food Safety/Quality » Research » Research Project #447337
Research Project: Continuation of Population of a USDA Foods Data Set with Expanded Nutrition and Food Safety Information

Location: Nutrition, Food Safety/Quality

Project Number: 0204-41510-001-111-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement

Start Date: Oct 1, 2024
End Date: Aug 15, 2029

Objective:
This Interagency Reimbursable Agreement (IRA) between ARS and FNS builds upon the work performed under expiring IRA 60-0204-9-463 to modify and maintain the existing ARS Branded Food Products Database data extract capabilities to include food products (USDA Foods) procured by USDA to support the FNS nutrition assistance programs. The project will be executed in cooperation with the existing Branded Food Products Database partners supporting the ARS application: GS l, 1 WorldSync, University of Maryland, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (UMD} and subcontractors of these partners. FNS has a requirement to make expanded information (e.g. allergens) on USDA Foods products available to program participants. This information will inform the ordering decisions of FNS program stakeholders on the types of USDA Foods available for consumption in the nutrition programs. The Branded Food Products Database does not presently provide the needed information; consequently, FNS will receive a tailored data extract with the expanded information.

Approach:
Under current guidelines, terms and conditions (established under expiring IRA 60-0204-9-463), ARS and FNS will continue participating in the project to identify, extract, and provide USDA Foods nutrition, ingredient and other information (e.g. allergens, Kosher certification} as needed to FNS program stakeholders. ARS will engage GS 1 and UMD under a separate Branded Food Products database agreement to develop and maintain technical solutions and business processes for the project meeting FNS requirements. The Scope of this Agreement is limited to activities related to USDA Foods supplier product information submitted to the GS 1 data repository, I World sync data extraction processes and programs and UMD data cleansing and formatting activities. FNS intends for the existing processes and procedures to be enhanced according to the procedures listed below to extract the specific and additional USDA Foods information desired to minimize costs and maintenance efforts. There is no requirement for the Branded Food Products Database to store or present this information for FNS stakeholders. FNS will manage communication of the USDA Foods product information through FNS resources. High Level Requirements - Identify or add fields in the GS l data repository to: • Label the products as USDA Foods • Store the Web Based Supply Chain Management System (WBSCM) material code and description Extract data from GS 1 on a mutually agreed upon schedule using current methods and enhance the extract file to include: • USDA Foods material code • USDA Foods description • Product allergen information including a full profile of the 8 major allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, soy, milk, wheat, fish) • Nutrition Facts panel information • Complete ingredients list • Kosher certification Cleanse and format the USDA Foods product data to send to FNS • Provide a Microsoft Excel readable data file with data requested by FNS on a mutually agreed upon schedule.