Georgia Department of Agriculture-Food Safety Division; Conformance with the Manu

<p>The Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) establish a uniform foundation for the design and management of state programs responsible for the regulation of manufactured food facilities. The development and implementation of these program standards will assist federal and state programs to better direct their regulatory activities toward reducing foodborne illness hazards in food plants. Based on the Georgia Department of Agriculture 2011 Strategic Plan and Pre-12 Month MFRPS Meeting report from FDA Development and Implementation Branch, program needs for the cooperative agreement application funding include: ¿ Enhance conformance with Standards 2, 4, 6 and 7.</p><p><ol><li> Fund GDA training center improvements. </li><li> Annual meeting travel of key MFRPS managers & staff to participate in annual face-to- face meetings and other initiatives supporting national and program specific conformance with the MFRPS. </li><li> Develop and deliver training for state staff related to the implementation of the MFRPS. </li><li> Develop and deliver regional multi-state industry specific training. </li><li> Standard Enhancement Project (SEP) to develop a framework for regional multi-state training with cross utilization and leveraging of resources to build a regional integrated food safety system. </li></ol></p><p>If funded under this cooperative agreement application, Georgia will continue to strive toward full conformance with the MFRPS as we build capacity in a food safety program focused on public health, while working in collaboration with FDA and other stakeholders as part of an Integrated Food Safety System. </p>