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Date: Monday, April 15, 1996
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Food and Drug Administration,  Judith Foulke (202) 205-
	    4144, Home (703) 451-8132

FDA & UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND ANNOUNCE FOOD SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

The Food and Drug Administration and the University of Maryland today agreed to form a unique partnership program, the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), dedicated to the advancement of food safety research and food and nutrition policy.

The Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed by FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D. and Dr. William E. Kirwan, President of the University of Maryland at College Park, calls for the pooling of the two organization's internationally renown scientific staffs and resources, including scientific expertise, equipment and facilities. The focal point of this new endeavor is FDA's newly planned facility in College Park, MD.

"Academia and the government have come together time and time again -- because it was in their interest and the national interest," said Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna E. Shalala. Today, we're combining the best of these two worlds again to strike a win-win deal for the American people."

"The Joint Institute will provide the opportunity for internationally-recognized scientists from both organizations to exchange their expertise in food safety, nutrition and food

science," said Dr. Kessler. "It will enable us to build on each other's strengths, and thereby move forward faster and more effectively in the pursuit of individual missions."

FDA's participation in the Joint Institute is expected to be enhanced by the recent decision of the General Services Administration to build near the university a new facility for

FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, and Center for Veterinary Medicine. The collaborative research conducted by the Center and the university scientists in the Joint Institute will include studies on risk assessment, nutritional analyses, and other scientific investigations contributing to the four major elements of FDA's food program:

Food security related to pathogens, contaminants, and toxins;
Regulatory science applied to the review of food ingredients, international standards, and educational research;
Nutrition and clinical studies related to nutrient quality, safety and labeling;
Evaluation of technological innovations in the food industry and consumer behavior.

FDA and University scientists will participate in seminars, workshops and other scientific forums to enhance the expertise of FDA staff, University faculty and others in the scientific community. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in specialized training, internships and independent research.

The plans of the Joint Institute call for future partnerships with industry as well as state and other federal government agencies to support and participate in research and educational outreach.

The design and site acquisition for the new campus for FDA's food and veterinary medicine centers are fully funded by a congressional appropriation of $84 million, and the construction is expected to be completed by the year 2000. The preferred site in the vicinity of the College Park Metro station was chosen by GSA on April 9.