National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)
PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT RFA-FD-22-008
Project Summary/Abstract
The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) and our partners in the Retail Food
Safety Regulatory Association Collaborative (Collaborative) continue our joint efforts to reduce
foodborne illness. This cooperative approach of synergic initiatives supports the practice of food
safety and involves stakeholders at all levels of retail food safety. Aligning with core element
three of the Food and Drug Administration’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint, our
specific aims are: 1) develop a national Food Code adoption strategy; 2) improve the approach,
competency, and food safety culture among regulators; 3) increase enrollment, engagement,
and conformance in the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards; 4)
improve foodborne outbreak investigation methods; 5) increase the number of establishments
that have well-developed and implemented food safety management systems; and 6) develop a
strategy to enhance communication and better tell our story.
The members of the Collaborative have committed to systematic, routine coordination across
our portfolios of activities. Under our national Food Code adoption strategy, NEHA, in
partnership with our Collaborative partners and the National Conference of State Legislatures,
will bring heightened awareness of the benefits of Food Code adoption and deliver fact-based,
nonpartisan information to legislators across the country. The Food Code Adoption Map will be
further developed to include data on the Food Code adoption status of U.S. territories and tribal
nations. To help support the training and education needs of the retail food safety workforce,
NEHA will partner to create and deliver educational programs, tools, and resources throughout
the project period including partner-developed training and educational programs from the
National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Restaurant Association
(NRA), and Association of Food and Drug Officials. In partnership with NRA and the Conference
for Food Protection, NEHA will assess the training and education needs of retail food handlers
and work to develop resources that meet those needs. NEHA will lead the strategy to enhance
communication through the continuation of our Telling the Story of Food Safety Project by
creating video vignettes with calls to action to support food safety programs and by the
execution of robust marketing, communication, and website maintenance strategies. We will
continue to support Collaborative project work by participating in working groups throughout the
project period. Through this work, the Collaborative will leverage our collective strengths and
expertise to work toward a reduction in foodborne illness.
