NEW MEXICO MFRPS IMPLEMENTATION

Project Summary/AbstractGiven the large impact of New Mexico's food manufacturing industry, providing high quality,consistent inspections based on the scientific principles of food safety is paramount to protectingNew Mexicans and consumers throughout the nation and world. Furthermore, the ability toidentify and respond quickly to public health events impacting New Mexico through a well-planned and coordinated Rapid Response Team (RRT) is paramount to preventing the spreadand/or continuation of public health related events.In addition to Several large food processors have operations in New Mexico (NM) including:General Mills, Kraft, Coca Cola, Santa Fe Tortilla Company, Bueno Foods, Border Foods, andAlbuquerque Tortilla Company, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED-EHB) hasexperienced a substantial surge in the number of small local producers seeking to begin foodmanufacturing. In 2015 NMED-EHB identified an inability to keep up with the growing numberof questions and requests to provide assistance and speak to various groups or to develop aprogram conforming with the MFRPS. Since obtaining ?MFRPS cooperative agreement? in2015, NMED-EHB has made significant progress in conforming with the MFRPS by achievingconformance with five standards and through the expansion of staffing, has been able to beginproviding assistance to new and existing food manufacturers throughout the state.In addition to having adequate resources and time to respond to questions, applications, planreviews, operational plans, recalls, training requests, and fulfilling staff training requirements,NMED-EHB now also able to provide scientifically, risk-based inspections with a small team ofproperly trained and audited inspection staff. Raising the level of staffing and eduation/trainingof this team has proven immediately beneficial to NM-produced manufacturing as the team hasdiscovered significant issues previously undiscovered by other staff conducting manufacturedfood inspections. Corrections are being handled in a timely manner in accordance with SOPs.NMED-EHB anticipates participation in the Flexible Funding Model Cooperative Agreementwill result in further increasing the effectiveness of protecting public health nationwide and willresult in full conformance with the MFRPS by the completion of Y2 of this agreement. Afterconformance is achieved in Y2, NMED-EHB anticipates maintaining conformance with theMFRPS through established monitoring practices and will strive to continually improve throughenvisioned continuous improvement initiatives. This will be oaccomplished by the following: ? The State will achieve, monitor, and successfully sustain full conformance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) by completion of Y2; ? The State will actively engage through an annual face-to-face meeting and participation in committees supporting MFRPS; ? The State has and will collaboratively develop strategies and share those strategies with other states; ? The State will provide FDA the foundation for pursuing regulatory action based upon the findings of State manufactured food regulatory programs; and ? The State will seek to further enhance its capability to protect public health through development and implementation of Standard Enhancement Projects and continuous improvement initiatives.The goal of this project is to build a manufactured food program to protect consumers throughoutthe state and beyond. At minimum, absent major unforeseen difficulties, significant conformancewill be attained with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards.