Food Safety Program
|
Foodborne illness in the United States is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to cause 48 million cases of illnesses, over 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths annually. Hospitalizations due to foodborne illnesses are estimated to cost over three billion dollars and lost productivity is estimated to cost between $20 billion and $40 billion each year. NACCHO strives to support and work with local health departments to improve food safety and prevent foodborne illness.
NACCHO invites local health departments (LHDs) to submit applications to participate in a mentorship program with other peer LHDs to share experiences, learn, and provide tools and resources related to the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards). The overall objective of the mentorship program is to match seasoned LHD practitioners with experience applying the Retail Program Standards with LHDs currently enrolled in the program standards and looking for guidance, tools and resources, and recommendations for achieving a standard or standards. This opportunity will provide capacity building among the LHDs participating in the mentorship program. Additionally, the program will help strengthen relationships between LHDs and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regional offices. This initiative is funded by a cooperative agreement between NACCHO and the FDA. Applications are due January 31, 2012 at 8 PM EST. How to become a mentor » How to receive mentorship » Sample format for budget request » More »
LHDs with food safety programs are encouraged to enroll in the FDA's Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Program Standards). The Program Standards provide a management system that LHDs can apply to enhance the services they provide to the public. To find out more about enrolling the Program Standards, contact Becky Johnson and Linda Collins. More » Open only to local governmental agencies including local health departments with food safety programs, the Samuel J Crumbine Consumer Protection Award is a prestigious award for local environmental health programs with demonstrated excellence in providing food protection services to their communities. The application deadline is March 15. Local health departments are strongly encouraged to apply. More » 
The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) released its Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response. Local and state agencies vary in the approach to, experience with, and capacity to respond to foodborne disease outbreaks. The CIFOR guidelines have been developed to provide a foundational resource for anyone working in food safety programs. The guidelines are targeted to local, state, and federal agencies and describe the overall approach to foodborne disease outbreaks.
CIFOR is a multidisciplinary working group convened to increase collaboration across the country in order to reduce the burden of foodborne illness in the U.S. NACCHO and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists co-chair CIFOR with support from the CDC. Click here for the CIFOR website. More » |
