Alaska FSS Maintaining Conformance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards

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Project Summary/Abstract The proposed project is intended to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Alaska's manufactured food regulatory program in its mission to prevent and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks, by maintaining the program's conformance with the manufactured food regulatory program standards (MFRPS.) In addition to improved program performance, conformance with the MFRPS supports the development of a nationally integrated food safety system and mutual reliance between state manufactured food programs and FDA partners. The program's newly-implemented information management system (IMS) is an important tool in operationalizing the MFRPS and creating resilience in program processes and procedures. Integration of standards-related activities such as quality assurance audits, staff training and qualification documentation, and enforcement review into the infrastructure of the IMS is a key component of MFRPS maintenance efforts going forward. In addition, development of the IMS will simplify data exchange between 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 Listeria monocytogenes (LM) control in seafood processing facilities in Alaska, and correlate the implementation of best practices with detection of LM in facilities and products. Data from the study will be used to guide development of outreach materials and target training to facilities where needed. Follow-up data and sample collections will assess the 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 Safety Advisory Committee (AFSAC) and the Alaska Seafood Processing Advisory Council (ASPAC), by creating opportunities for the committees to meet and focus on the best approaches to reduce the occurrence of behaviors and situations that increase the risk of foodborne outbreaks. The task force will bring industry, academia, and other stakeholders together to work collaboratively to prevent foodborne illness in the state.