Innovative Approaches That Collaboratively Advance Retail Food Safety Initiatives to Reduce the Occurrence of Foodborne Illness

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National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT RFA-FD-22-008 Project Summary/Abstract The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) and our partners in the Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaborative (Collaborative) continue our joint efforts to reduce foodborne illness. This cooperative approach of synergic initiatives supports the practice of food safety and involves stakeholders at all levels of retail food safety. Aligning with core element three of the Food and Drug Administration’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint, our specific aims are: 1) develop a national Food Code adoption strategy; 2) improve the approach, competency, and food safety culture among regulators; 3) increase enrollment, engagement, and conformance in the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards; 4) improve foodborne outbreak investigation methods; 5) increase the number of establishments that have well-developed and implemented food safety management systems; and 6) develop a strategy to enhance communication and better tell our story. The members of the Collaborative have committed to systematic, routine coordination across our portfolios of activities. Under our national Food Code adoption strategy, NEHA, in partnership with our Collaborative partners and the National Conference of State Legislatures, will bring heightened awareness of the benefits of Food Code adoption and deliver fact-based, nonpartisan information to legislators across the country. The Food Code Adoption Map will be further developed to include data on the Food Code adoption status of U.S. territories and tribal nations. To help support the training and education needs of the retail food safety workforce, NEHA will partner to create and deliver educational programs, tools, and resources throughout the project period including partner-developed training and educational programs from the National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Restaurant Association (NRA), and Association of Food and Drug Officials. In partnership with NRA and the Conference for Food Protection, NEHA will assess the training and education needs of retail food handlers and work to develop resources that meet those needs. NEHA will lead the strategy to enhance communication through the continuation of our Telling the Story of Food Safety Project by creating video vignettes with calls to action to support food safety programs and by the execution of robust marketing, communication, and website maintenance strategies. We will continue to support Collaborative project work by participating in working groups throughout the project period. Through this work, the Collaborative will leverage our collective strengths and expertise to work toward a reduction in foodborne illness.