California Department of Food and Agriculture Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch Flexible Funding Model for MFRPS Development

摘要

Abstract The Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch (MDFSB) of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is charged with the mission and responsibility of ensuring that California's milk, milk products, and products resembling milk products are safe and wholesome, meet microbial and compositional requirements and are properly labeled. To fulfill this mission, MDFSB conducts regulatory food safety activities at all sectors of the dairy industry from farm to table, including inspections of dairy farms, bulk milk tanker trucks, milk processing plants, industry milk testing laboratories and manufacturers of single-use dairy containers. MDFSB also collects regulatory samples of milk, milk products and water supplies for laboratory testing, responds to consumer complaints and food safety incidents, and initiates impounds and product recalls to protect public health as warranted. In addition, sanitation ratings by MDFSB personnel certify milk supplies and milk plants for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to ship Grade-A milk and milk products in interstate commerce. The primary objective of our proposal is to further develop, implement, and sustain California’s best practices for a quality regulatory program to enhance the safety of human food regulated by our branch. This would entail the strengthening of interagency collaboration, cooperation, and communication; achievement and sustainment of compliance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS); enhancement of coordination and interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other states’ dairy inspection programs. Under this proposal we are requesting $1,495,151 in grant funds for the period of the contract. Grant funds will be used to augment current program capabilities, and provide the necessary infrastructure to continue further development and sustainment of MFRPS. MDFSB staff will work on enhancing the program’s ability to conduct high-quality inspections and investigations to help prevent human food contamination and ultimately foodborne illness associated with dairy products made in California.