Texas State Chemist Recall Program: Capacity and Capability Development

<p>Project Summary: This proposal seeks to shift current regulatory risk management of food safety incidents involving recalls by developing a manual of best practices through a multi-national meeting of risk managers who convene at the Codex Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC). This effort, combined with graduate level distance courses offered as part of a Regulatory Science in Food Systems graduate certificate and continuing education models and a web-based management information system for tracking recalled product in the Caribbean Basin including Texas and in Latin American offers an innovative approach to enhance food safety found in Section 210 of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The project augments 'but does not duplicate' efforts including the Texas All Hazards Rapid Response Team involving the Office of the Texas State Chemist, Texas Department of State Health Services, Dallas District Regional Office of FDA and Southwest Import District of FDA. A recall training component will be developed in conjunction with the Texas A&M University REGULATORY SCIENCE IN FOODSYSTEMS graduate certificate program. Specifically, recall will be incorporated in a course titled Regulatory Science Methodology in Food Systems scheduled for completion/delivery in the fall semester of 2013. The web-based framework and management system for the Regulatory Science program will be developed by an instructional media specialist. As an outcome of this project, improved recall management of products originating from the Caribbean and Latin American countries and Texas will occur including improved communication, data sharing, product disposition and more rapid response to feed and food safety events. Subject matter specialists from these regions of the world will be trained through the Regulatory Science curriculum to extend Recall Best Practices and software user training. This project seeks to leverage prior investments by FDA, USDA, Codex Alimentarius trust fund, World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, Caribbean and Latin American food safety authorities, Office of the Texas State Chemist, and Texas A&M resources to improve the capacity and capability to improve recall effectiveness.</p>