DEVELOPING ARIZONA'S PARTICIPATION AND CONFORMANCE WITH THE MANUFACTURED FOOD REGULATORY PROGRAM STANDARDS (MFRPS)

Project Summary/AbstractThis project aims to advance efforts for a nationally integrated food safety system by providing supportfor the further development of a manufactured food program in Arizona that focuses on conformancewith the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS). The Arizona Department ofHealth Services (ADHS) will build on several key objectives initiated during its first year of funding, whichincluded completing a self?assessment and complementary strategic improvement plan, entering into acontract for manufactured food inspections with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and beginningthe process of updating Arizona?s rules and regulations to make them equivalent to the current Federalrequirements for manufactured food.The project emphasizes the achievement of training goals to ensure ADHS and county regulatoryprogram staff are well?trained to perform manufactured food inspections and to ensure the state hasadequate staff between state and county regulatory programs to meet contract requirements formanufactured food inspections, particularly as the program grows. Proposed training opportunitiesinclude the Food Safety Preventative Controls Alliance training course, administered online, in order togive the state the opportunity to conduct human PC inspections.The project also provides for opportunities to meet with the local county health departments in personeach year for the first four years of funding to discuss the developing state manufactured food program,the counties? roles within it, the availability of staff training, and the progress in adopting administrativerules related to manufactured foods. Then, in the final year of funding, the project provides anopportunity instead for the local county health departments to gather with ADHS at a statewide eventto discuss, strategize and organize efforts around continued conformance with the MFRPS.ADHS also proposes to enhance its manufactured foods program with funds to enhance its existing FoodProtection Task Force. The state currently organizes quarterly Food Protection Task Force meetingsduring which Task Force members give presentations on effective outbreak investigations or examplesof effective coordination among a variety of stakeholders to protect food, discuss current local foodprotection issues, and other topics. However, participation is sometimes limited due to the distancemany county partners would need to travel in order to attend in person, and industry does notparticipate. The funding will allow the state to host an annual tabletop exercise with funding toreimburse counties for sending representatives to ensure a high rate of participation despite thedistance many would have to travel to attend the exercise and would extend activities to include avariety of stakeholders, including industry and academia. The tabletop will enable the Task Force topractice effective, coordinated food defense response. In addition, ADHS proposes to contract withoutside expert speakers for the tabletop exercise and/or the quarterly meetings in order to enhanceparticipants? knowledge of particular food and/or food defense subjects.