Summary

Trade Safe’s (TraSa) goal is to advance the Dominican Republic’s sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and food safety system by supporting the implementation of science- and risk-based SPS and food safety measures, standards, and regulations leading to improved efficiency, coordination, and transparency of the commercialization, trade, and safety of food and agricultural products.

TraSa’s Objectives

  • Strengthened public and private institutions and coordination mechanisms that intervene in local SPS policy to facilitate the adoption of science-based and technically sound SPS regulations and measures.
  • Improved technical capacity of public and private sector institutions involved in SPS to streamline collaboration and implement trans-parent, risk-based SPS regulations.
  • Enhanced collaboration among the public and private sectors to develop a cold-chain system that meets international standards for food safety and the prevention of foodborne diseases by facilitating infrastructure investment in cold chain systems.

Key targets include the following:

  • 209 policies, regulations, and/or administrative procedures developed.
  • 55 project supported packinghouses that meet FSMA requirements.
  • $2.3M in new public and private sector investment leveraged.

TraSa Activities

TraSa will build the capacity of Dominican government institutions to develop a modernized SPS and food safety related policy and regulatory framework to respond to the needs of the DR’s trade agreements and international best practices.

TraSa will build the capacity of government institutions to implement science- and risk-based SPS and food safety measures, standards, and regulations to facilitate trade in food and agricultural products.

TraSa will manage sub grants for the development of cold chain infrastructure to enable implementation of SPS and food safety standards. TraSa will assess market opportunities for cold chain investments and facilitate public-private partnerships to catalyze market driven investment in cold chain systems while also targeting pragmatic low-cost solutions for farmers.

TraSa will provide training to private sector firms, farmers, labs, and consumers. This activity will support the private sector’s understanding of and compliance with inter-national SPS and food safety standards.

TraSa Implementation Team

IESC leads project implementation overall and serves as technical lead for trade-related policy and capacity building activities. Purdue University brings technical expertise on SPS and food safety issues to technical assistance and training activities. The World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) contributes cold chain related activities, including public policy, public sector capacity building, and technical assistance/training for the private sector. LixCap applies its experience in cold chain systems market research and cold chain investment market research and facilitation to assess the investment opportunities for cold chain systems and facilitate scalable investment. Local partner Center for Agricultural and Forestry Development (CEDAF) provides expertise in farmer training and will scale up its food safety traceability system, which was developed with USDA support.

Funder: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress

Period of Performance: October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2025

Agreement Value: $13.8 million

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