Quality Assurance Self Assessment

PAR-13-164 Project SummaryThis proposed project is designed to achieve equivalency, consistency, and uniformity withfederal manufactured foods safety standards through the development and implementation ofroutinely conducted quality assurance self-assessment procedures for Manufactured FoodsRegulatory Program Standards #4- Inspection Audit program, # 6- Compliance andEnforcement, and # 10- Laboratory Support. The objectives are to strengthen the MDARD foodprogram infrastructure through compliance with all manufactured food regulatory programstandards and establish performance standards to audit for quality and remediation ofweaknesses.Incorporating a self-auditing system into the Michigan Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Food and Dairy Program, Food Safety and Inspection Program, will ensure thatMichigan pursues continuous quality improvement to meet the intent of the Manufactured FoodsRegulatory Program Standards. The self-assessment procedures use a root causal analysisapproach, identify food program areas for improvement, and commit the food program todevelop and implement action plans for correction.Through this cooperative agreement, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment achieves conformance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory ProgramStandards and develops deliverables that can be shared with other states and serve as atemplate for a national model.