City of Newton Prototype Program for Complying with Nine FDA Program Standards

The City of Newton Health and Human Services Department seeks funding to establish a comprehensive and sustainable program to meet all of the nine FDA Food Regulatory Program Standards. The Department proposes to achieve this by hiring a Standards Coordinator to document already existing policies/procedures and to develop and implement new policies/ procedures needed to meet the Standards under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and in collaboration with the Environmental Health Specialists. The Department is seeking to establish a computerized food inspection form as well as a database to be shared among departments conducting inspections in the City. Computerization will facilitate more effective inspections and better tracking of metrics as well as enabling the creation of a restaurant grading system. Active outreach within the Massachusetts public health community will allow this work to be shared among other local health departments seeking to achieve compliance with the Standards. Foodborne illness affects an estimated one in six Americans every year, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2011statistics), leads to lost productivity from missed work and school, and can be fatal, particularly in vulnerable populations. Compliance with the Food and Drug Administration Food Regulatory Standards will increase the safety of retail food in Newton, and will help provide tools for other communities to increase their compliance with the standards, which will lead to healthier and more economically productive communities. In order to improve food safety in the city, an effective inspection system and a well- trained inspection staff also has to be accompanied by successful outreach to food establishments and the general public. For the food establishments, good trainings available in multiple languages and at convenient times with a robust curriculum and input from owners will help to engage employees to perform according to best food safety practices. Education and access to information will assist the public in choosing where to eat and how to prepare foods properly to guard against foodborne illness.