Coeur D'alene Tribe Retail Food Standards Project

Coeur d'Alene TribeRetail Food Safety ProjectProject Summary/AbstractThe Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Retail Food Safety Project's main goal is to improve thehealth, safety and welfare of residents and visitors of the Coeur d'Alene Reservation.This project will improve retail food safety through working toward being verified forconformance with at least 4 of the 9 Food & Drug Administration's Voluntary NationalRetail Food Regulatory Program Standards by the end of the five-year project period.The Coeur d'Alene Tribe has approximately 20 retail food establishments on the Coeurd'Alene Reservation. These retail food establishments include food programs forchildren, seniors, the general public and thousands of visitors annually to theReservation. The Tribe has had an Environmental Health Specialist in the Tribe'sEnvironmental Programs Office of the Natural Resource Department since 1998. TheTribe's food safety program utilizes the current FDA food code as an advisory documentfor its compliance assistance, education and outreach to Tribal retail foodestablishments.One main question that the project seeks to answer is whether the Coeur d'Alene Tribewould like to develop and approve a food code that is consistent with the current FDAfood code. Once that question is answered, the Tribe will determine if it will be able topursue verification for conformance with the remaining 5 Program Standards.Another goal of this grant is to determine the feasibility of developing a memorandum ofagreement with the state of Idaho's Panhandle Health District for areas such asfoodborne illness and food defense preparedness and response, in addition to otheraspects of a retail food program. If it is feasible in terms of adequate support from theTribe and Panhandle Health, as well as from a programmatic perspective, then theTribe proposes completing a MOA during the project period.The Tribe does not currently have sufficient funding for staff to pursue its retail foodsafety goals to the degree outlined above. Through providing funds for adequate stafftime to pursue these goals, the Tribe will be able to better protect public health throughincreased retail food safety on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation.