**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN LOW-MOISTURE FOODS IS A SIGNIFICANT AND INCREASING PROBLEM, IN TERMS OF BOTH PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS ON THE U.S. FOOD SYSTEM. SALMONELLA HAS BEEN LINKED TO NATIONWIDE OUTBREAKS AND RECALLS INVOLVING A BROAD RANGE OF PRODUCTS, INCLUDING ALMONDS, BLACK PEPPER, HAZELNUTS, PEANUT PRODUCTS, PISTACHIOS, PET FOOD, SOY PRODUCTS, AND BREAKFAST CEREAL. ADDITIONALLY, PATHOGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI AND LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES ARE INCREASINGLY IMPLICATED IN OUTBREAKS AND/OR RECALLS LINKED TO LOW-MOISTURE FOODS, INCLUDING NUT PRODUCTS AND WHEAT FLOUR. A SINGLE SALMONELLOSIS OUTBREAK LINKED TO PEANUT PRODUCTS COST THE INDUSTRY ~$1 BILLION, AND OUR ESTIMATE OF THE ASSOCIATED HEALTH BURDEN WAS ~$200 MILLION. OVERALL, LOW-MOISTURE FOOD RECALLS IN THE LAST DECADE CAUSED ~5% MEAN LOSS IN MARKET CAPITALIZATION FOR AFFECTED PUBLIC COMPANIES, AVERAGING &GT;$400 MILLION LOST PER RECALL EVENT. SMALL OR MEDIUM-SIZED COMPANIES GENERALLY ARE UNABLE TO SURVIVE SUCH EVENTS, RESULTING IN BANKRUPTCY AND/OR CLOSURE. ADDITIONALLY, ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION OF WHOLE-GENOME SEQUENCING IN OUTBREAK INVESTIGATIONS BY THE CDC WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF OUTBREAKS DETECTED. HOWEVER, THE ROOT CAUSES OF THESE FAILURES (SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL, AND/OR HUMAN) OFTEN ARE UNIDENTIFIED. FURTHERMORE, MUCH OF THE LOW-MOISTURE FOOD INDUSTRY IS COMPRISED OF HISTORICAL/LEGACY SYSTEMS, SUCH AS HARVESTERS, DRYERS, MILLS, AND OVENS, THAT WERE DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE ECONOMIC GOALS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY FOOD SAFETY OUTCOMES. THIS IS A LARGE, BUT UNSOLVED FARM-TO-CONSUMER PROBLEM. THEREFORE, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NEED FOR A TRANSDISCIPLINARY, SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACH TO BETTER PROTECT U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY OF INDUSTRY OPERATIONS. IN OUR APPROACH TO THIS PROBLEM, OUR SYSTEM IS DEFINED AS HARVEST-TO-CONSUMPTION FOR LOW-MOISTURE FOODS. IN SUSTAINABILITY TERMS, THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES WORKFORCE TRAINING AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS (PEOPLE), ENERGY USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF PATHOGEN CONTROL SOLUTIONS (PLANET), AND RISK-INFORMED COST-BENEFIT ANALYSES OF CHANGES IN THE LOW-MOISTURE FOOD SYSTEM (PROFIT).THEREFORE, THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ACCELERATE THE ADOPTION OF A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SAFETY CULTURE IN COMMODITY-BASED LOW-MOISTURE FOOD SYSTEMS (VIA AN INTEGRATED, TRANSDISCIPLINARY, SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACH, WITH INTERCONNECTED AND PARALLEL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES). RESEARCH, OUTREACH, AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES WILL BE HIGHLY INTEGRATED, OUTCOMES-FOCUSED, AND STAKEHOLDER-ENGAGED (INCLUDING A STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP AND A DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ADVISORY TEAM), AND SUBJECT TO SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT. RESEARCH AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES WILL ENCOMPASS RISK, ECONOMIC, AND SUSTAINABILITY ANALYSES, FOOD SAFETY CULTURE ASSESSMENTS, PATHOGEN CONTROL SOLUTIONS, AND MULTIPLE WORKSHOPS, WEBINARS, AND RESOURCES SUPPORTING SYSTEMS-BASED FOOD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. EDUCATION ACTIVITIES WILL ENTAIL NOVEL COURSE AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT FOR BOTH ASSOCIAT,E- (WORKER) AND GRADUATE-LEVEL (SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL) LEARNING. OVERALL, THIS PROJECT WILL REDUCE FOODBORNE ILLNESSES, AND ASSOCIATED RECALLS, LINKED TO LOW-MOISTURE FOODS, THEREBY IMPROVING THE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY OF INDUSTRY OPERATIONS OF ALL SCALES.