Implementing Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS)

The mission of the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) is to ensure that services are available to enhance the health of individuals and families, promote healthy neighborhoods, and safeguard the health of the Milwaukee community. Foodborne illness is a significant public health issue, with one out of every six people nationwide experiencing a foodborne illness each year resulting in tens of millions of acute illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands of deaths each year in the United States. The MHD recognizes that a robust regulatory program is necessary to assure the safety of the food in Milwaukee. In order to assure the adequacy of MHD's regulatory program, MHD seeks to adopt the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Standards (VNRFRPS). The specific aim of the proposed project is to develop a robust regulatory program that meets all of the conditions laid out in the VNRFRPS, by August 31, of 2017. The Milwaukee Health Department will utilize its practical regulatory experience to apply quality improvement (QI) methodology and public health theory (health education, communication, and community organizing) to regulatory food activities in order to meet the VNRFRPS. Evaluation will be integrated throughout the project through the utilization of rapid PDSA cycles to review and evaluate programmatic changes. A five member Standardization Implementation Team will be assembled to lead the overall project.