Happy New Year from the AFDO Team
The AFDO team (including eNews) is back and hard at it for 2022. Let us know how we can help or improve what we do for you here in your weekly AFDO eNews by sending ideas and feedback to Brooke Benschoter at bbenschoter@afdo.org.
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AFDO Adds Accounting Expertise to Bench
Tara Fox has joined the AFDO office in York, Pennsylvania as Accounting Manager. Fox graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s in Accounting and has worked in finance for more than 20 years. She has held accounting and corporate controller positions with companies in the East Coast region. Please help the AFDO team welcome Fox to the AFDO family.
Posted 1/3/21
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AFDO Front and Center in Latest Partnership for Food Protection Publication
The Partnership for Food Protection (PFP) Information Technology Workgroup (IT WG) has released the Winter edition of its newsletter. The newsletter's Coffee Talk - Part A feature is an interview with AFDO's own Jennifer Pierquet, Project Manager, about her work in a series of data exchange projects including the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) Data Exchange (DX).
The newsletter also features components of AFDO's collaboration with the PFP and information about AFDO Executive Director Steven Mandernach.
Read the issue here.
Posted 1/3/22
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2021 "Marylanders of the Year" are the State’s 24 Health Officers
On December 26, 2021, the Baltimore Sun Newspaper's Editorial Board paid tribute to Maryland's health officers in the paper's editorial section by naming the group the 2021 Marylanders of the Year. Editorials are the opinion of the Board, which is separate from the newsroom and often put forth thoughtful commentary and recognition of efforts that might otherwise go unnoticed. What follows is an excerpt from the piece that recognizes this group and a link to the entire editorial.
Imagine your singular professional goal is to protect the health and well-being of others — a challenge on a normal day, given the public’s varied personal habits and histories, and decades of underinvestment in your field. And then, along comes a pandemic.
Suddenly, you’re not just battling diabetes, mental illness and opioid addiction within segments of your community; you’re also charged with keeping the entire population safe from a novel coronavirus that no one yet understands. It’s taking lives, shutting down schools and businesses, causing chaos in the financial markets and terrifying the country. There’s no vaccine for it, no treatment for it and no clues about when it might end.
That was the situation Maryland’s 24 health officers (one for each county and Baltimore City) faced as COVID-19 swept the globe in 2020. Since the beginning, they’ve acted with a unity of purpose in our best interests under trying and exhausting circumstances. They’ve put boots on the ground in communities to bolster relationships and information sharing across groups. They’ve traced contacts, distributed protective gear and administered tests on a mass scale. And they endeavored to do it all equitably. All this, while also trying to quell their own fears and those of their families, and to manage their daily household affairs.
Read the editorial here.
Posted 1/3/22
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New Dates Announced
Root Cause Analysis for Retail Food Safety Session Offered in 2022
AFDO invites you to participate in the new virtual course, Performing Root Cause Analysis during Food Safety Risk Assessment. The course was developed in collaboration with ASQ, a globally-recognized provider of several certification programs, and retail food safety regulatory professionals. This course incorporates the concepts of root cause analysis for use in reducing the occurrence of risk factor violations and in the investigation of foodborne illness outbreaks. It is designed for the advanced food safety professional and will greatly enhance the skills needed to define the problem, collect data, determine the “why” and develop solutions.
Identifying the root cause (why) of risk factor violations and foodborne illness outbreaks utilizes contributing factors (what/how) and environmental antecedents providing the “why” of the violation or outbreak. This course will help develop a methodical approach to:
- Determine the underlying reasons for how and why an outbreak/violation(s) occurred
- Provide tools for more effective problem solving
- Data collection tools and analyzation
- Interventions or corrective actions to prevent recurrence
Cost is $500 per person. AFDO is subsidizing approximately 40% of the registration costs per participant. Continuing education units (CEU's) through NEHA will be offered. Certificate of attendance and the CEU form will be sent at the conclusion of the course.
Course sessions run from Monday through Thursday. Sessions will start on the following dates in 2022. Register using the links below.
Monday, February 28, 2022
Monday, April 11, 2022
Monday, May 9, 2022
Monday, October 3, 2022
Monday, November 7, 2022
Monday, December 5, 2022
Posted 1/3/22
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FDA Authorizes Marketing of Tobacco Products Reduce Exposure to and Consumption of Nicotine
On Thursday, December 23, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of 22nd Century Group Inc.’s “VLN King” and “VLN Menthol King” combusted, filtered cigarettes as modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs), which help reduce exposure to, and consumption of, nicotine for smokers who use them. These are the first combusted cigarettes to be authorized as MRTPs and the second tobacco products overall to receive “exposure modification” orders, which allows them to be marketed as having a reduced level of, or presenting a reduced exposure to, a substance.
Read the FDA release here.
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IAFP 2022 Travel Award Applications Open
Applications are being accepted for the IAFP Travel Award for Health or Agricultural Department Employees in North America.
This award will be presented to city, county, state, or provincial health or agricultural department employees (epidemiologists, food and molecular microbiologists, and environmental health specialists) working in North America.
Recipients will receive funds to attend IAFP 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 31–August 3. Application deadline is Tuesday, February 15, 2022. To learn more or apply, go here.
Posted 12/20/21
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NEARS Explorer Program Applications Open
Is your regulatory food safety program looking to better capture and use environmental assessment data from foodborne illness outbreak investigations to improve food safety programs? NEHA, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is excited to offer awards between $2,500 and $4,000 to support food safety agencies looking to learn more about and utilize the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS).
Regulatory state, tribal, local, or territorial governmental food safety agencies that are not yet participating in NEARS are eligible to apply, with priority given to states. The project will last from February 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022. Applications are open through 5 pm EST on Friday, January 7, 2022. Learn more about how funds can be used to support your program and apply today here.
Posted 12/20/21
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AFDO Team Members Recognized by ORA
Congratulations to the AFDO team members who were recognized by the FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) as part of this year’s honor award recipients! The annual ORA Honor Awards recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of FDA colleagues and partners who significantly advanced ORA’s mission and made a difference to public health in the previous year. These awards demonstrate achievements across ORA highlighting innovation, collaboration, leadership, and professionalism.
In announcing the 26th annual awards, Judy McMeekin, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs (ACRA) commented on the accomplishment of the honorees.
“Last year was very challenging,” says McMeekin. “Despite the pandemic, ORA has demonstrated an incredible degree of agility to provide safe foods, effective medical products, and reduce the use of tobacco in the United States.” AFDO is proud to have contributed through these team members who were recognized:
Jessica Badour
Patrick Kennelly
Krystal Reed
Randy Treadwell
for
2020 Rapid Response Team Meeting Planning Committee
For exemplary collaboration with planning, organizing, and executing the virtual 2020 Rapid Response Team Computer-to-Computer meeting.
Brenda Morris
for
Accepting Non-Contract State Inspection Data
For superior achievement through collaboration with state regulatory agencies, improved inter-agency information sharing, and fulfilling the FDA's mission by accepting non-contract inspections.
Jennifer Hardy-Tindle
Christina Heist
Pat Kennelly
Steve Mandernach
Randy Young
for
COVID-19 Virtual Instructor Led Training Course Conversion
For exceptional performance and commitment to design and implement virtual instructor led trainings during the COVID-19 pandemic for internal staff and external collaborative partners.
Pat Kennelly
for
COVID-19 Field Instructions Development Work Group
For development of multiple field instructions to assist in field operations during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the public and agency staff.
Steve Mandernach
for
FDA-NIST-FSPCA Partnership MOU Team
For creating a strategic partnership to provide food safety best practice education to small U.S. food processors in support of Food Safety Modernization Act
Cathy Hosman
for
AFRPS and PC Funding Option FOA Development Workgroup
For innovation in developing a funding opportunity announcement that coordinates federal and state activities to advance compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Preventative Controls.
Posted 12/20/21
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New Benefit of AFDO Membership
Retail HACCP Validation and Verification Course Announced
NC State Extension and AFDO have teamed up to offer a one-day virtual course designed to help regulators become comfortable with special processes at the retail level. By attending this course, local environmental health specialists will possess the tools and knowledge to identify special processes, review submitted documentation for a HACCP plan, and a working knowledge of these processes to better help operators of retail food establishments.
The course costs $25 for 2022 AFDO members. Cost for nonmembers is $200.
Dates for the 2022 courses will be Thursday, March 17, and Thursday, March 24. Times have been selected to allow participation from all areas of the country. Mark you calrendar now and look for details and registration information in eNews in mid-February.
Thursday, March 17, 2022
9 a.m. to 4 p,m. EST (6 a.m. to 1 p.m. PST)
or
Thursday March 24, 2022
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST (8 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST)
Posted 12/20/21
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PFP Releases Practices for Communicating During Food Recalls
The Partnership for Food Protection has released an infographic outlining practices for Improving communications between the FDA & states during food recalls. Included is the sharing of information, identifying key contacts, outlining a communications process and making sure all sources of information are being taken advantage of.
Download PFP Infographic here.
Posted 12/20/21
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Child's Journey Highlights E. coli Illness Linked to Cake Batter
The CDC features patient stories on its website to help families avoid going through foodborne illness experiences that can be avoided. The following story focuses on the impact of eating raw batter when baking for a child that resulted in serious illness. You can read more stories from people who got sick with infections that came from food or animal contact.
Harlee is a happy, curious, and active 11-year-old who lives in Utah. She loves playing sports like basketball, soccer, and softball and hiking and camping with her dad on the weekends. Harlee also loves baking for her family with her mom, Errin.
One Saturday night in July 2021, Harlee told her mom that she wasn’t feeling well and was having sharp stomach pains. At first, Errin thought it might be strep throat since it wasn’t unusual for Harlee to experience stomach pain with strep or a sore throat. As the weekend went on, Harlee’s symptoms worsened, and she couldn’t sleep from the pain. On Monday, Errin took her daughter to the doctor, where she was given antibiotics and sent home. However, it soon became clear to Errin that Harlee’s illness was much more serious when her symptoms got worse.
Read full article....
Posted 12/20/21
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Save the Date
First Inspector Bootcamp Schedule Announced
AFDO is hosting the first of its kind “Inspector Bootcamp,” slated to be held virtually on Mondays, Mar. 28, April 4 & 11. This training is planned for both retail and manufactured food inspectors (new and seasoned), to provide boots-on-the-ground data, presentations on both soft and technical skills, and facilitated breakout discussions. The goal is for all participants to share experiences, hear from other inspectors/jurisdictions, learn from each other and network, while gaining additional tools and knowledge to help be better prepared in the field. During this training, inspectors will:
- Apply more risk-based approaches to conduct quality inspections
- Learn how to leverage evidence to support the writing of accurate, valid reports
- Understand how to identify special processes and review food safety plans
- Improve operator interviewing skills to drive productive conversations and listen more effectively
- Identify the difference between aggression versus violence, and how to de-escalate potential conflicts to create a calmer environment in the field
The training will be offered with both morning and afternoon sessions, roughly 4 hours per session. There will be 12 hours of training total over the course of the 3 dates. The cost to attend the training will be $75 per person, capping at $1,000 for unlimited participants from a single agency. More specific agenda details will be shared, and registration will open in early 2022. Special thanks to the 13 workgroup members helping AFDO plan this training, and for all the inspectors who helped shape the training topics by providing survey input back in November. For any questions, please contact Jessica Badour at jbadour@afdo.org.
Posted 12/13/21
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Who Do You Know?
AFDO Encourages Students Through
Scholarships
Do you know a college student who is considering a career in food or medical products safety?
The Association of Food and Drug officials offers three $2,500 undergraduate scholarships each spring. To be eligible, students should be a junior with a 3.0 grade average during the first two years of undergraduate study with demonstrated leadership capabilities and a desire to serve in a career of research, regulatory work, quality control, or teaching in an area related to some aspect of foods, drugs, or consumer product safety.
To apply or to encourage someone to apply, in addition to completing an application, an official and complete college transcript must be submitted along with letters of recommendation from two faculty members. Scholarship applications must be submitted by March 31, 2022 to be considered for the current year’s award.
Application info may be found at: www.afdo.org/grants/afdo-scholarship
Posted 12/13/21
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Now Accepting Applications for the 2022
Seafood HACCP and SCP Train-the-Trainer
Course
The AFDO/SHA 2022 Seafood HACCP Train-the-Trainer Course is now open, and we are accepting applications. For more information pertaining to the course and/or to download an application, please visit our website, https://www.afdo.org/training/sha/seafood-haccp-instructor/seafood-haccp-train-the-trainer-course/.
The 2022 course is scheduled for March 29 – 31, 2022 in Rosemont, IL at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL 60018. The registration fee is $975 which covers all training materials, meeting facilities and instruction. Deadline to apply is March 4, 2022. The course will be filled on a first-come basis.
If you have any questions about the course, please contact AFDO at afdo@afdo.org or call (717) 757-2888. Please put “Seafood HACCP TTT Course” in the subject line.
Post 12/6/21
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Other Training Opportunities
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Paster Training, Inc.
Paster Training, Inc – Food and Alcohol training and consulting for Retailers and Manufacturers.
The education you need by experienced trainers and consultants.
FSMA Training - VIRTUAL and CLASSROOM AVAILABLE! Dates and Times available on our website.
- Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF), Full and Part 2
- Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment (IAVA)
- Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), Full and Part 2
- Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)
Retail Training – VIRTUAL and CLASSROOM AVAILABLE! Dates and Times available on our website.
- Certified Protection Food Manager (CPFM)
- Food Handler/Food Employee
- HACCP Manager
- HACCP Employee
- Food Defense
- SPANISH TRAINING AVAILABLE!!!!!
Not seeing what you need, visit www.pastertraining.com or call us at 610.970.1776 to inquire about both public or private classes or consulting services.
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EAS Consulting Group Training
Hygienic Equipment Sanitation – Best Practices for Food Safety
January 11, 12 and 13, 2022 at 1pm eastern, 1.5 hours each session.
Dietary Supplement Virtual GMP Refresher
January 18-19, 2022 from 11am-3pm eastern
Dairy Processing 101
February 15, 17, 22 & 24, 2022
From 12:00pm-3pm eastern each day
USDA Labeling Compliance Virtual Seminar
April 5-6, 2022 12pm-3pm eastern each day
Food and Dietary Supplement Labeling Compliance Virtual Seminar
April 25, 27 & 29, 2022 • 11am – 5pm • Virtual Event
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The Food Safety Doctor LLC
Promoting Public Health and Food Safety through Training and FSMA Awareness
While sheltering in place, The Food Safety Doctor LLC is offering
FSMA Compliance Courses - Virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT)
Information Page
Click here to access the schedule of PCQI courses
Click here to access the schedule of FSVP-QI courses
Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Qualified Individuals (IAVA-QI) Courses
Click here to access the schedule of IAVA-QI courses
ONLINE Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCQI) Courses
January 18-20, 2022
February 8-10, 2022
March 1-3, 2022
Click here to access the schedule of PCQI courses
ONLINE Foreign Supplier Verification Courses (FSVP-QI) Courses
January 25-26, 2022
February 16-17, 2022
March 15-16, 2022
Click here to access the schedule of FSVP-QI courses
Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Qualified Individuals (IAVA-QI) Course
January 27, 2022
February 22, 2022
March 23, 2022
Click here to access the schedule of IAVA-QI courses
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Laws and Regulations Committee Update
A collection of current food, drug, device, and consumer product regulatory issues and news
December 20 - 23, 2021
December 27 - 28, 2021
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Laws and Regulations Committee Updates
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