Building the Capacity of Food Safety Entitites to Protect Public Helath in Respons

<p>SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: The primary objective of this grant is to improve the speed and effectiveness of DSHS recalls process and to work in tandem with FDA on mandatory, voluntary, inter-state and intra-state recalls. The following activities are planned in order to meet the objectives detailed in RFA-FD-12-026Building the Capacity of Food Safety Entities to Protect Public Health in Response to a Notification under section 1008 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act or a Recall of Foods (U18).1. Fund one Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Full Time Equivalent (FTE); a Sanitarian III position. This employee will act as Program Director of this grant.2. Purchase supplies and equipment related to the Recall position. Prepare for approximately 20 recalls per year.3. Review current Recall Procedures and model DSHS procedures to FDA Recall Procedures (Chapter 7 of Regulatory Procedures Manual).4. Develop automated system to track recalls and provide details for each recall. Collaborate with FDA Dallas District Office (DALDO) to design this data in tandem, or similar, to their Recall Enterprise System (RES).5. Familiarize new employee to the Texas Rapid Response Team (TRRT), which is partnered with DSHS, FDA Dallas District Office (DALDO) and the Office of the Texas State Chemist (OTSC). Include new Recall employee in the TRRT Incident Command System (ICS) training for all TRRT members. Incident Specific training to be scheduled in winter of 2013.6. In order to develop metrics related to increased efficiency and effectiveness of examinations, inspections and investigations and other food safety activities, the Recall PD will work to review and eliminate gaps in present procedures and will implement needed improvement plans.7. In September of 2010 a Process Improvement Team (PIT) committee was formed to develop a viable Risk Matrix Tool to assign risk factors to DSHS inventory. This has been an ongoing project, as the ratings change based on field inspection results. A primary duty of the PD of this Recall grant is to continue to fine tune this Risk Matrix. This would entail following repeat offenders and tracing recall histories.</p>