Development of Strategies to Achieve and Maintain Compliance with the Manufacture

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is seeking funding to support the agency's Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) Implementation and Continuation Project. The VDACS Food Safety & Security Program meets all requirements to be eligible for this funding. The program serves as the state's manufactured food regulatory program and has a current food safety inspection contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Food Safety & Security Program received funding from 2009-2013 as a part of the FDA Rapid Response Team and Program Infrastructure Prototype Project. Utilizing those funds the Program began the process of conducting a MFRPS self assessment, developing an improvement plan, and designing strategic goals meant to address identified gaps in our assessment. Currently the program has achieved complete conformance with Standards 7, 8, 9, and 10 and substantial conformance with Standards 2, 3, and 5. Standards 1, 4 and 6 are currently listed as only partially implemented. Funding provided by this cooperative agreement will be utilized to support program staff tasked with the development of procedures and practices designed to address identified Program gaps to complete conformance with all ten of the MFRPS. This work will include but is not limited to the creation of specific procedures for conducting manufacturing inspections, the development and documentation of quality assurance procedures for the State manufactured foods program, review of state laws and regulations, and implementation of advanced tools designed to track and monitor performance and implementation of compliance procedures throughout the Office of Dairy and Foods All work completed under this funding will be reviewed for applicability to other local, state, and federal programs and when appropriate will be provided to FDA Standards Implementation Staff for distribution to other interested parties.