The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) has announced six new research projects totaling $1.8 million to address critical food safety challenges in the fresh produce industry.

The projects were selected through CPS’s annual call for research proposals, a process designed to generate actionable outcomes that enhance produce safety across the entire supply chain.

This year’s selected projects, most of which begin in January 2026, will focus on:

• Fugitive dust: “Developing Methods to Assess Risk to Crops Exposed to Animal Facility Fugitive Dust,” Erin DiCaprio, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
• Post-harvest water management: “Reassessing Post-Harvest Water Management for Pathogen Infiltration/Internalization,” Mabel Gil, Ph.D., the Center for Applied Soil Science and Biology, Segura of the Spanish National Research Council (CEBAS-CSIC)
• Compost monitoring: “Automated Compost Monitoring With Low-Cost RFID, Drones, and Machine Learning for Improved Control and Pathogen Safety,” Chetan Badgujar, Ph.D., University of Tennessee
• Controlled environment agriculture: “Characterization and Control of Food Safety Risks Associated With Indoor Leafy Green Growing and Harvest,” Luxin Wang, Ph.D., University of California, Davis (beginning in November 2025)
• Harvester cleaning: “Can Clean, Get Cleaner? Evaluation of Cleaning and Sanitation Process Improvements for Harvest Equipment of Leafy Greens,” Channah Rock, Ph.D., University of Arizona
• Management of Biological Soil Amendments of Animal Origin (BSAAOs): “Evaluation of Grower Practices to Reduce Potential Risks Associated with the Use of BSAAOs in Leafy Green Production,” Channah Rock, Ph.D., University of Arizona.

Dr. Erin DiCaprio and Dr. Mabel Gil are stepping into lead investigator roles for the first time on CPS-funded projects. Both researchers have previously served on CPS-funded research teams.