This Wednesday
Making Sure Leaders are Risk Aware and Continuously Push to Reduce Risk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Stop Foodborne Illness, a non-profit public health organization, are hosting a called “Making Leaders Risk Aware and Push to Reduce Risk” this Wednesday, February 16, 2022. The webinar will feature Nancy Wilson, Director of Quality Assurance, Risk Management and Safety at Wawa, and Randall Huffman, Chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer at Maple Leaf Foods.

The webinar series is entitled “Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.” The series will engage experts in a collaborative exchange of ideas and experiences related to the importance of a robust food safety culture in helping to ensure safe food production.  

Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Time: 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. EST

To listen to a recording of the first webinar, visit Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.

Faster and Easier Way to Obtain and Analyze Data from the FDA

The FDA has published a new, interactive public data dashboard that allows anyone to view historical data from the Reportable Food Registry (RFR), an essential tool that the food industry uses to alert the FDA of a dangerous food product. The new dashboard, which will be updated annually, makes it faster and easier to get better data from the RFR compared to the past. The RFR program helps our state and local partners better determine when to issue health alerts, take steps to remove harmful food from the market, and target enforcement efforts, such as sampling assignments. 

The new RFR public data dashboard contains 10 years of data from September 2009 to 2019 and covers 28 commodities and 20 food safety hazards. Unlike the past RFR annual reports previously used to publish data, the new dashboard allows users to interact with the data points to gather more customized information at any time to find answers to their specific questions. Users can modify the graphs and charts and view trends based on selected commodities, hazards, and time frames. The dashboard is available as part of the FDA-TRACK program, the FDA's agency-wide performance management system.

In publishing this dashboard, the FDA is taking additional steps to increase public data access by including a downloadable, raw RFR data set to enable stakeholders to perform their own analyses.

Read more here.

Posted 2/14/22

Registration Now Open
Virtual Training Academy for Regulatory Food Inspectors

AFDO is hosting the first of its kind “Inspector Bootcamp” on Mondays, March 28, April 4 & 11. There will be duplicate morning “East Coast” (8:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. EDT) and afternoon “West Coast” (1-5 p.m. EDT) editions of the course, with limited seats in both. The live virtual training is planned for both retail and manufactured food inspectors (new and seasoned), with presentations on both soft and technical skills and facilitated breakout discussions. The goal is for all participants to share experiences, hear from other inspectors and 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

Funding Opportunity Announcement

State Manufactured Food Internship Program Grant Available

The goal of this “State Manufactured Food Student Internship Program” is to facilitate the development of college interns while cultivating their interest in food safety regulatory career opportunities. AFDO is announcing the availability of funding to be awarded for up to one year, to support a summer college internship project during the summer of 2022. Only state food programs with a manufactured food regulatory component are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Under this project, college interns will work within an agency’s regulatory manufactured food safety program and supplemental food program components during the Summer of 2022 to:
  Gain a better understanding of the state’s regulatory roles and responsibilities, 
 Complete some initial training and food safety general education online courses, 
  Shadow inspectors in the field,
 Participate in key meetings with leaders and program managers, and 
 Be better prepared to join the regulatory food protection workforce upon graduation.

To review the full Funding Opportunity Announcement and download an application template to apply, please visit https://www.afdo.org/student-internship-grant/

Posted 2/14/22

Who Do You Know?
Nominations for Honorary Membership Now Being Accepted

Please note that for someone who is a member of a Regional Affiliate but not a member of AFDO, their contributions need to be extremely and nationally significant for them to receive serious consideration.

Nominations without a completed nomination form cannot be considered. Please complete the nomination form and send to afdo@afdo.org.  The most recent list of honorary members can be found here so you can review those who have already received this type of membership:

Posted 2/14/22

Save-the-Date
CASA Annual Educational Seminar Set for April

Click Here for a fillable PDF Registration Form

Last Monday, January 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR) released a list of draft and final guidance topics that are a priority for the FDA Foods Program to complete during the next 12 months.

The agency anticipates it will publish many of these documents by January 2023. The list is an update on the guidance agenda released in June 2021 and focuses on Level 1 draft and final guidances.

The FDA is taking this action to provide continued transparency for stakeholders regarding foods program priorities. Guidance documents represent the FDA’s current thinking on a specific topic and the information can help stakeholders plan for potential changes that may impact their businesses and organizations. They do not impose legally enforceable requirements.

Read the entire announcement here. 

Posted 2/7/22

Retail Collaborative Makes Significant Progress

First Session Today Until 7:45 p.m. EST
FDA Schedules Public Meetings on the Proposed Changes to Produce Safety Rule

The public meetings will be held according to the schedule below.  The times for each meeting have been adjusted to provide persons in different regions of the country an opportunity to comment.

Date; Monday, February 14, 2022
Time: 11:45 a.m. - 7:45 p.m. EST
Register for the February 14 Meeting 

Date: Friday, February 25, 2022
Time: 8:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. EST
Register for the February 25 Meeting  

Registration is required to attend the virtual meetings. Registered participants will receive details on how and when to view the public meetings online. Questions about the meetings can be directed to Juanita Yates, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition: e-mail Juanita.Yates@fda.hhs.gov.

Posted 1/10/22

Free Webinar
Learn from the Experiences of an APHL-CDC Fellow

Call Out Your Favorite Food Safety Team
AFDO Grosvenor Food Safety Award Taking Nominations

Established in 2010, the Grosvenor Food Safety Award is given to recognize outstanding achievements made by food safety programs within State Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resource Agencies, Public Health Departments or Environmental Conservation Departments in the United States or Canada. The award will go to the program that best showcases improvement, innovation, or sustained high performance within a food safety program.  Program elements should assess proficiency in strategic planning, managing, and evaluating continuous improvement.  A food safety program could include responsibility for: food safety, food protection, and food defense or food sanitation.

Nominations must be submitted by April 1^st and will be reviewed by the Elliot O. Grosvenor Food Safety Award Committee.  Self-assessments for program standards may be used to demonstrate progress. This award will be giving during the 2022 AFDO Annual Educational Conference scheduled to be held in person this year from June 11 through June 15. 

Updated Deadline April 1
Salute Someone in the Regulatory World with the Corby Award

Do you know a person who has gone above and beyond in their regulatory position during this unusual year? Maybe a field person who has made inspections in person or virtually as a significant portion of their working time.

Nominate them now for the Jacob Joseph Corby Achievement Award. It is the perfect way for you to recognize their performance. The application is easy to fill out and the deadline is April 1, 2022.

The Jacob Joseph Corby Achievement Award is awarded for one or more specific achievements, or for a documented sustained high level of performance. The scope of what counts as an “achievement” is very wide. A few examples of achievements that would be considered are: developing evidence in a difficult case that results in an indictment, conviction, or administrative action; bringing about a measurable improvement in general conditions, e.g., raising test scores on dairy farms or average scores in a group of food establishments; teaching courses that result in more food manager certifications; removing dangerous consumer products from the marketplace; or developing new techniques such as more effective use of computers.

To be eligible for the award, one must be in their first ten years of service as a sanitarian, inspector, investigator, milk specialist, food specialist, radiological health inspector, consumer product safety inspector, laboratory analyst or similar regulatory position. They must be a field person; that is, one who goes out of the office or works virtually to make inspections a significant portion of his or her working time. The winner may not be a supervisor unless the work for which they were nominated was done as a field person and it played a role in the promotion to supervisor. The winner must be employed by a federal, state, county, or municipal regulatory agency, which has at least one employee as a member of AFDO.

The winner will be presented with a framed certificate of achievement and have a choice of receiving a check for $500.00 or a future full conference funding. Conference attendance is not mandatory for receiving the award. 

Posted 1/18/2022

Deadline Extended
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

New Dates Announced
Root Cause Analysis for Retail Food Safety Session Offered in 2022

• 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

Pre-registration is Now Open
Retail HACCP Validation and Verification Course Announced

       

Food Safety Technical Specialist – Washington State    

If you like food safety and working with dynamic and dedicated staff in a vibrant environmental health program, please explore this opportunity. The Washington State Department of Health has openings for two Food Safety Technical Specialists. Both positions will be responsible for providing food safety technical expertise to food safety stakeholders, giving food safety presentations and trainings, and assisting with foodborne disease outbreak investigations. In addition, one position will lead the program’s plan review work and the other will lead the program’s development of a statewide foodborne illness notification system. Both are funded through June 30, 2023 and we anticipate receiving funding beyond 2023. Please see the website or contact Joe Graham (joe.graham@doh.wa.gov) for further information

Post 1/31/22

Health and Environmental Investigator IV- Food and Facilities Section - Washington      

The Environmental Health Services Division, Food & Facilities Section is seeking a skilled, enthusiastic, and dedicated individual to fill an Environmental Health Services Supervisor position.
 
The Environmental Health Services Division's mission is to identify and sustain environmental conditions that promote healthy people and healthy communities.  The Food & Facilities Section contributes to healthy communities by permitting, educating and inspecting over 1,800 water recreation facilities, 12,500 permanent food businesses, 40 farmers markets, 3,000 temporary food businesses, and issues over 50,000 food worker cards annually.  In addition, the section is responsible for permitting and inspecting 1,800 water recreational facilities, oversees the safety of fresh and marine water bathing beaches, and provides regulatory oversight of sewage releases and Harmful Algal Blooms affecting swimming beaches.  We serve incredibly diverse, culturally rich, and culinary innovative communities.  Our incredibly talented and diverse 60 person team operates with a $14 million annual budget.   The Food and Facilities Section strives to provide equitable service and applies an educational approach toward regulatory compliance.
 
The successful candidate will have a passion for environmental public health and creating healthier lives for all people in King County, enjoy developing people and teams, possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and be effective at developing productive relationships with agency partners and regulated entities.  The successful applicant will work with a team of supervisors in the section, and will directly supervise 10-12 people.
 
The position supports and advances Environmental Health Services Division's values for fair and culturally competent service delivery, innovative, effective and efficient application of resources, building a culture of performance and expanding opportunities to seek input, listen and respond to industry and residents.  The position will be located within the Environmental Health Division of Public Health – Seattle & King County.
 
The Program is committed to the principles of racial equity and social justice and values diverse perspectives and life experiences in its workforce.  People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Post 1/31/22

Food Safety Specialist  - Virginia 

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is seeking a self-motivated person to become part of our Food Safety team. This position is responsible for the evaluation of food processes and the enforcement of the Virginia Food Laws and related federal and state regulations. Duties include evaluating the condition of food processing facilities relative to food safety and food defense; assisting new and existing food processing technologies and food labeling at manufacturing operations and retail food establishments; investigating complaints; conducting food borne illness investigations; collecting official samples of food and food related products; reviewing new food business proposals and assisting in the development of safe food processes; and evaluating and interpreting nutritional related claims for foods and dietary supplements.
 
The selected individual will establish and work from a home office under the guidance and direction of a regional field office and will be required to live in or convenient to the assigned territory. The home office must have reliable access to a network for mobile communications. The work territory includes Fairfax, Fairfax County (22312, 22003, 22015, 20124, 22030, 22031, 22032, 22039, 22041, 22042, 22044), Manassas, and Manassas Park. The use of a state vehicle will be provided for business use only.

Post 1/31/22

Food Regulatory Specialist I - North Carolina

This position is located in the Food & Drug Protection Division. The Food & Drug Protection Division has five functioning sections, including the Food Section, the Dairy Section, the Feed Section, the Drug Section, and the Administrative Services Section. In addition, analytical support is provided to the Food & Feed Sections by the Food & Drug Protection Division’s six laboratory branches, i.e. Feed Laboratory, Fertilizer Laboratory, Food Laboratory, Microbiology Laboratory, Residue Laboratory, and Pesticide Formulations Laboratory. The Division protects the health, welfare, and economic interests of consumers of foods, drugs, livestock feeds, fertilizers, and medical devices by ensuring, thorough inspections and analysis, that these products are wholesome and properly labeled.

2/14/22

Food Regulatory Specialist I - North Carolina

The Division of Food Safety is looking for a self-motivated candidate that has a willingness to learn and a desire to devote their skills to a greater purpose. The division is currently seeking candidates for a Food Safety Specialist 1 position in the Food Safety Division headquartered in various counties. 

2/14/22

Paster Training, Inc. 

• 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)

• Certified Protection Food Manager (CPFM)
• Food Handler/Food Employee
• HACCP Manager
• HACCP Employee
• Food Defense
• SPANISH TRAINING AVAILABLE!!!!!

EAS Consulting Group Training 

The Food Safety Doctor LLC 

ONLINE Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCQI) Courses

March 1-3, 2022

Click here to access the schedule of PCQI courses

ONLINE Foreign Supplier Verification Courses (FSVP-QI) Courses

March 15-16, 2022

Click here to access the schedule of FSVP-QI courses

Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Qualified Individuals (IAVA-QI) Course

February 22, 2022

March 23, 2022

Click here to access the schedule of IAVA-QI courses

Laws and Regulations Committee Update

A collection of current food, drug, device, and consumer product regulatory issues and news