ALASKA FSS MAINTAINING CONFORMANCE WITH THE MANUFACTURED FOOD REGULATORY PROGRAM STANDARDS

Project Summary/AbstractThe proposed project is intended to continuously improve the efficiency andeffectiveness of Alaska's manufactured food regulatory program in its mission toprevent and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks, by maintaining the program'sconformance with the manufactured food regulatory program standards (MFRPS.) Inaddition to improved program performance, conformance with the MFRPS supports thedevelopment of a nationally integrated food safety system and mutual reliance betweenstate manufactured food programs and FDA partners.The program's newly-implemented information management system (IMS) is animportant tool in operationalizing the MFRPS and creating resilience in programprocesses and procedures. Integration of standards-related activities such as qualityassurance audits, staff training and qualification documentation, and enforcementreview into the infrastructure of the IMS is a key component of MFRPS maintenanceefforts going forward. In addition, development of the IMS will simplify data exchangebetween jurisdictions and improve evidence-based policy and program decision making,which are also critical to maintaining a nationally integrated food safety system.The proposed special project will examine the prevalence of best practices for Listeriamonocytogenes (LM) control in seafood processing facilities in Alaska, and correlate theimplementation of best practices with detection of LM in facilities and products. Datafrom the study will be used to guide development of outreach materials and targettraining to facilities where needed. Follow-up data and sample collections will assessthe effectiveness of the approach.The Food Protection Task Force track will highlight and formalize the foodborne-illness-prevention activities of two existing advisory committees, the Alaska Food SafetyAdvisory Committee (AFSAC) and the Alaska Seafood Processing Advisory Council(ASPAC), by creating opportunities for the committees to meet and focus on the bestapproaches to reduce the occurrence of behaviors and situations that increase the riskof foodborne outbreaks. The task force will bring industry, academia, and otherstakeholders together to work collaboratively to prevent foodborne illness in the state.