Sanitation is the number one cause of nonconformances in inspections and audit reports in the food industry. Along with this, small food entrepreneurs face significant hurdles and burdens when complying with food safety regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This dissertation as a whole aims to advance the field of food safety and sanitation by addressing persistent gaps in human norovirus control, regulatory compliance, workforce training, and behavioral assessment across food production environments. Collectively, the chapters move from fundamental challenges of viral inactivation in complex matrices to the development and evaluation of practical interventions that improve food safety performance. The work begins by synthesizing knowledge on how organic matter interferes with disinfectant efficacy against viruses, with a focus on resilient, non-enveloped pathogens such as human norovirus. This review not only clarifies mechanisms of inhibition but also points toward more realistic laboratory models and intervention strategies, offering foundational insights for both research and industry practice. Building on this, the dissertation introduces an innovative, tiered educational model tailored to small and medium-sized processors navigating FSMA. By lowering knowledge barriers and providing accessible, tiered training, this work expands regulatory reach and empowers underserved businesses to comply with Preventive Controls for Human Foods. To produce a hybrid training that was relevant and targeted to the needs of small food producers, a modified Delphi framework is employed to define critical sanitation competencies. This process ensures that training aligns with the evolving needs of industry, regulators, and front-line workers alike. This framework directly informs the creation of a hybrid training program that integrates modern pedagogy, “Tell, Show, Do”, with real-world application, improving both worker confidence and skill retention. Finally, by applying concealed observation methods in food service settings, the research reveals hidden vulnerabilities in sanitation practices that conventional observation methods overlook, underscoring the importance of unbiased behavioral assessment to reduce outbreak risk. Taken together, this body of work contributes new scientific understanding, novel and practical training tools, and methodological innovations that bridge the gap between laboratory research, regulatory policy, and real-world food production environments. The integrated approach highlights the central role of sanitation in public health protection and provides a scalable roadmap for strengthening food safety systems across diverse sectors.