Sustaining Conformance With The Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (mfrps)

VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - FOOD AND LODGING PROGRAMSustaining Conformance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program StandardsVermont is a small New England state with a population of approximately 620,000 people. TheVermont food landscape is diverse, with many producers and processors of local products fromfarm to table. When measured by employment and gross state product, food manufacturing isthe second-largest manufacturing industry in Vermont. The Vermont Department of Health(VDH) is the state?s lead agency for public health policy and advocacy. State regulatoryjurisdiction over food producers is shared between the Vermont Department of Health Food andLodging program (VDHFL) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM).VDHFL has been enrolled in the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS)since the 2008-2009 contract year. Since 2012, MFRPS funding has been vital for achievingimplementation and conformance with the standards, and has improved the quality andresources of the overall food safety program. The program maintains a comprehensive StrategicPlan that includes continued work necessary to maintain conformance with the standards.VDHFL is proposing cooperative agreement funding for sustaining conformance with the 2013MFRPS and implementing the new 2016 MFRPS elements. This includes proposed funding tocontinue to support two Public Health Inspector positions to complete inspection work andimprove the inspector-to-establishment ratio needed for adequate food safety evaluation andcompliance follow-up (Standards 3, 6, and 8). Additionally, a proposed Compliance Officer toadvance conformance with Standards 4, and 6, and a Communication Outreach Coordinator tosupport implementation of the FSMA Preventive Controls rule in Vermont. Training funds willcontinue to allow inspection staff to participate in FDA training courses, including regulatortraining for PC rule implementation.1