Advancing Connecticut's Conformance with the FDA Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards

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Project Summary The Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) Food Protection Program (FPP) seeks to reduce the risk for foodborne disease by improving the quality of inspections of food service establishments conducted by local health departments. A lack of uniform application of food regulations has been recognized both nationally and in Connecticut by the FPP, local health departments, and the food industry. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developed the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards to improve uniformity among regulatory programs with responsibility for enforcing food protection laws. The goal of this project is to achieve conformance with Standard #4, Uniform Inspection Program, by developing self- assessment and quality assurance programs to be used by the local health departments and the FPP. With a part-time staff person, the FPP will have the resources necessary to devote to the development, review, pilot, and promotion of a self-assessment program for local health departments. The program will be utilized by local health departments to review inspection data with a focus on the frequency of identification of risk factor violations for foodborne disease. Too often the focus is on the number of inspections completed rather than the quality of inspections that can have the most impact on ensuring the violations that most often cause foodborne illness are identified and corrected. Local health department supervisors will use the program to work with staff to address any noted deficiencies. A quality assurance program will also be developed and used by the FPP to audit the local health department self-assessments to ensure that deficiencies are recognized and addressed by the local health departments. The FPP can assist local health departments in improving the uniformity of inspections by developing and providing this program for their use.