FDA-NACCHO Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaboration - NACCHO | Project Abstract The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Conference for Food Protection (CFP), in close coordination with the Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaborative, will strengthen the national retail food safety system by supporting state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) retail food regulatory programs and industry in reducing foodborne illness risk factors. Through shared planning, aligned workgroups, partner expertise, and coordinated dissemination, the project will advance adoption of the current FDA Food Code; increase use of risk-based inspections and intervention strategies; support engagement with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS); improve foodborne illness outbreak (FBIO) investigation capacity; expand use of food safety management systems (FSMS) and active managerial control (AMC); and improve access to Collaborative resources. This project, “Collaborating with Retail Food Safety Associations to Advance Retail Food Initiatives and Reduce Foodborne Illness” will serve SLTT retail food regulatory agencies and industry partners across the U.S. The service area includes more than 3,000 SLTT agencies that regulate retail food and foodservice establishments, more than 3,300 local health departments (LHDs) represented through NACCHO, and CFP’s regulatory, industry, academic, and consumer stakeholders. Jurisdictions vary in governance, staffing, resources, legal processes, and program maturity. NACCHO and CFP will work with Collaborative partners over three years to develop and disseminate practical tools, test promising approaches, provide targeted technical assistance, and use evaluation data to refine national resources. Key strategies include expanding the Food Code Adoption Toolkit; refining risk factor study tools; conducting a regulatory training needs assessment; developing resource libraries for the VNRFRPS, risk-based inspections, FBIO investigations, and FSMS/AMC; supporting CFP Issue development and committee work; promoting mentorship and RPS Networks; supporting annual FDA Retail Food Seminars; and strengthening Collaborative communications and branding. The project goal is to reduce foodborne illness risk factors by increasing use of science-based retail food safety practices, standards, tools, and communication systems. By the end of Year 1, NACCHO and CFP, with Collaborative partner input and participation, will develop at least one new Food Code Adoption Toolkit section; establish baseline toolkit metrics; provide technical assistance to at least one jurisdiction pursuing Food Code adoption; refine one Risk Factor Study Template and pilot protocol; support at least one LHD pilot; field one training needs assessment; draft and submit up to four CFP Issues; interview at least three RPS Network leaders; establish VNRFRPS toolkit and network impact baseline measures; update strategic plans for Objectives 4 and 5; develop one FBIO Resource Library operational plan; develop one draft National FSMS Resource Hub plan; prepare one literature review outline and working draft; present findings at three national meetings; support one annual virtual FDA Retail Food Seminar; and host one in-person Collaborative meeting. In Years 2 and 3, the partners will track utilization, training transfer, jurisdiction engagement, communication reach, resource gaps, and progress toward VNRFRPS enrollment, active participation, and conformance to refine and sustain successful strategies.
