The Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) is proud to announce that they have been awarded a $63,616 Food Safety Education Fund Grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD).
The grant funds a continuation of MIFMA’s Food Safety at the Farmers Market program. The program allows MIFMA to connect with Michigan community-driven marketplaces to implement consumer-facing food safety programming tailored to meet the needs of each market’s unique community. Previous topics have included safe food sampling, cooking demonstrations, cooking at home with fresh farmers market products, and other relevant matters as requested by farmers market managers.
“Since the program’s inception in 2022, we’ve seen time and time again that providing farmers market managers with funding and technical assistance results in successful food safety education events,” says Jenny Radon, MIFMA Programs Director. “MIFMA has developed expertise through partnerships with MDARD and MSU Extension, and can share that expertise with program managers to create innovative and effective food safety educational programs to reach consumers across Michigan.”
The program also includes a complementary social media campaign, which posts consumer-facing food safety facts on seasonally relevant Michigan grown produce from May to September. These social media campaigns have proven to be an incredibly successful method of reaching market shoppers, with the 2025 campaign receiving well over 275,000 views overall.
“Food safety is a cornerstone of community health,” said MDARD Director Tim Boring in a press release about the 2025 grant recipients. “Through the Food Safety Education Fund, MDARD is investing in projects that will promote safe food practices, help secure our food supply chain and protect the health and well-being of Michigan families.”
To read the entire MDARD press release, click here.