Write A Strategic Plan to Advance Conformity to The Retail Program Standards and Promote An Integrated and Uniform Retail Food Program.

Research and Related Other Project Information7. Project Summary/AbstractThe North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Food and Lodging (the Department),promotes integrated and uniform retail food regulatory programs managed and enforced bystate, local, and tribal government agencies statewide. In addition to the Department, whoregulates and inspects retail food establishments including restaurants, retail food stores, smallfood processing plants, child-care centers, and school food-service kitchens, this authority isdelegated to nine local, district, and city public health units located throughout the state of NorthDakota. The Department provides general oversite and guidance over state and local foodsafety programmatic activities including license and inspections, compliance, and enforcementactions as well as training, code interpretation, and standardization of state and local inspectionstaff.The Department is focused on reducing risk factors known to cause foodborne illness outbreaksassociated in retail food settings; therefore, it is critical to establish procedures, protocols, andevidence-based intervention strategies that improve food safety. The Department benefits fromusing the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail ProgramStandards) as a framework to prioritize program goals and target resources for continuousimprovement in order to enhance and improve food safety practices in retail food settingsoperating in North Dakota. The specific aims in this proposal include: 1) develop a strategic planthat outlines goals and project milestones for achieving conformance with the Retail ProgramStandards that can be shared and duplicated by local and tribal regulatory programs acrossmultiple jurisdictions; 2) demonstrate the ability to adequately train regulatory inspection staffand meet FDA standardization procedures; and 3) improve data acquisition, quality, andreporting using innovative technology solutions and electronic communication systems.Recent deployment of a web-based, electronic license and inspection information managementsystem has advanced efforts in integrating the state?s regulatory retail food safety system withall nine local data systems. Program integration using modern technology will enhance theability of data sharing, improve data quality, and advance methods of communication amongststate and local regulatory retail food programs.