Building a Fully Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS)
Utilizing the Partnership for Food Protection (PFP)
AFDO Annual Meeting
Presented by: Barbara Cassens, Jeff Farrar
June, 2013
1
Topics
• IFSS & PFP Defined
• Historical Background: IFSS/PFP
• Recent FDA Actions to Support Building an IFSS
– Staff Additions/Integration from Within
– FDA IFSS Taskforce Action Plan
• FSMA & Building an IFSS
• Current State of the PFP
• Relevant PFP Accomplishments & Outputs from Related
Efforts that Support Building an IFSS
2
Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS)
Definition: An IFSS is a systematic collaboration and
coordination of local, state, and federal food and feed
safety regulatory programs, resources, and authorities to
protect public health.
Vision: Public health & regulatory partners work
collaboratively across all jurisdictions to provide
comprehensive, coordinated coverage of the food supply
from farm to table to prevent foodborne illness in
humans and animals.
3
IFSS
Vision Achieved, in part, by:
•
•
•
Establishing and implementing national standards to ensure consistency across
all jurisdictions;
Developing training & certification programs to establish a highly skilled
workforce across all jurisdictions & levels of government;
Implementing IFSS foundational elements including:
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
•
joint work planning including inventory sharing
joint inspections where appropriate
joint enforcement and compliance teams
joint after action reviews of significant events
joint responses to significant events
immediate notification of egregious conditions
Identifying mechanisms and processes, both legal & technological, to share
information, & where appropriate, use data from regulatory partners to support
enforcement actions;
Ensuring food laboratory accreditation and providing food laboratory best4
practices to ensure consistent, high quality data;
Historical Background: IFSS & PFP
• Since the 1990s and before, Federal, state, territorial, tribal
& local agencies have worked together to address pieces of
an integrated food safety system.
• 1998: First 50-State Workshop held, in part, due to the
launch of the National Food Safety Initiative that included a
comprehensive approach to food safety; success in moving
integration forward followed, but faltered after a few years
w/o adequate federal infrastructure & funding support for
the effort.
5
Historical Background: IFSS & PFP
• 2008: FDA held its second 50-State Workshop titled Gateway to
Food Protection
– Reenergized integration efforts to address challenges of growing global food
supply
– FDA established PFP to bring together regulatory and public health partners
to develop an IFSS
• PFP Coordinating Committee: Established to advise FDA on IFSS
infrastructure needs & to suggest strategies & tools for integration; set
goals & provided oversight to PFP Workgroups
• PFP Workgroups: Created by PFP Coordinating Committee to work on
projects focused on IT, training, emergency response, risk-based work
planning & development of PETNet (target completion August 2010).
Historical Background: IFSS & PFP
•
•
•
•
2009:
– White House Food Safety Working Group Key Findings Report: IFSS priority
recommendation; recommends unified IC structure & adequate provisions
for sharing data in an emergency
– FDA drafts an IFSS vision paper, supported by PFP
2010:
– Administration supports IFSS in 2010 budget; $14.6 million to build FDA
infrastructure for an IFSS
– Third 50-State Workshop; FDA commits to continued PFP IFSS support
2011:
– PFP work underscored by passage of FSMA; mandates an IFSS
2012:
– Fourth 50-State Workshop
– New PFP Governance Committee created; PFP Workgroups redefined
Internal FDA Action to Support
Building an IFSS & the PFP
Organization Changes/Staff Additions
Implementation of Integrated Task Force Action Plan
8
FDA Support for an IFSS
• Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine (OFVM) Changes
– Added Director of Intergovernmental Affairs & Partnerships
• Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) Changes
–
–
–
–
Created Office of Partnerships
Added Senior Advisor for Fed-State Relations
Added District State Liaisons;
Added District Emergency Response Coordinators
• New PFP Governance structure and Governance Council
contains Senior Leaders from Across FDA’s Foods Program
• Add dedicated project managers for PFP WGs from across FDA’s
Foods Programs
FDA’s Integrated Food Safety Taskforce
• Commissioner charged Deputy Commissioners for Foods &
Global Regulatory Operations & Policy to establish a highlevel Integration Task Force to oversee the development &
implementation of new strategies & action plans to achieve
full partnership with state/local agencies
• Co-chaired by Joe Reardon, ORA & Jeff Farrar, OFVM
– Members include Senior Officials from
•
•
•
•
ORA
CFSAN
CVM
State/local leaders involved in the PFP
10
FDA’s Integrated Food Safety Taskforce
• Charge: Identify & address enhancements needed w/in FDA to
ensure full adoption of an IFSS; immediate priority given to
addressing the following:
– Strengths/weaknesses of Fed-State partnership, perspectives of
officials from FDA & state/local agencies
– Current FDA policies & practices fostering/impeding development of a
full partnership
– Specific actions FDA leadership can take to institutionalize
communication & operational practices required to achieve full
partnership
• Deliverable: Action Plan
FSMA & Building an IFSS
Main Themes of the Legislation
Prevention
Inspections,
Compliance,
& Response
Enhanced
Partnerships
Import Safety
IFSS Related FSMA Sections
• Section 201: Targeting of Inspection Resources for
Domestic Facilities
• Section 205: Surveillance
• Section 209: Improving the Training of State, Local,
Territorial, & Tribal Food Safety Officers
• Section 210: Enhancing Food Safety
13
FSMA Section 201: Targeting of Inspection
Resources for Domestic Facilities
•
Sec 201 (a) Establishes the Domestic Inspection Frequency Mandate
•
Sec 201 (a)(2)(E) Reliance on Federal, State or Local Inspections
– “In meeting the inspection requirements under 201 for domestic facilities
the FDA may rely on inspections conducted by other Federal, State or
local agencies under interagency agreement, contract, MOU or other
obligation.”
– States currently conduct 50% of federal registered food facility
inspections reported each year under contract
14
FSMA Section 201: Targeting of Inspection
Resources for Domestic Facilities – cont.
• Role of MFRPS and AFRPS
– Provide uniformity and consistency among Federal & State Inspection
Programs
– Need to clarify process for providing feedback to FDA on MFRPS and
AFRPS standards
• FDA Established Independent Audit Group
– Ensures uniform implementation of Program Standards
15
FSMA Section 205: Surveillance
• 205(c)(1): Improving State/Local Food Safety/Defense Capacity
FDA to develop/implement strategies to leverage/enhance food safety & defense
capacities of state /local agencies to:
• Improve emergency response & containment;
• Strengthen capacity of state/local agencies to conduct inspections & enforce
safety standards;
• Improve effectiveness of fed/state/locals to coordinate food safety & defense
resources & reduce foodborne illness;
• Share information among public health/regulatory partners/public in a timely
manner
• 205(c)(2): Review of State/Local Capacities & Needs for
Enhancement
Staffing levels & expertise available to perform food safety & defense functions;
laboratory capacity to support surveillance, outbreak response, inspection, &
enforcement; information systems & ability to share data
16
FSMA Section 209: Improving the Training of
State, Local, Territorial & Tribal Officers
•
Requires FDA to set standards & administer training/education programs
for fed/state/local food safety officials relating to the regulatory
responsibilities & policies established under FSMA/FD&C Act
•
Includes programs for: scientific training & training on sampling,
laboratory analysis/methodology, inspections, specialization relative to
inspections, best practices & building enforcement actions
•
Training can assure consistency & equivalency among fed/state/local
programs
17
FSMA Section 210: Enhancing Food Safety
• Authorizes FDA to make grants to eligible entities to:
– Conduct inspections & investigations
– Train to FDA standards for inspections/investigations of food & retail
facilities
– Build food safety capacity of the laboratories
– Build infrastructure & capacity of food safety programs to meet
standards
•
Permits FDA to provide funds to eligible entities (state/local/territorial/tribal)
for direct investment into their food safety infrastructure; monies that can
improve upon the current capabilities and capacities of these entities
18
Partnership for Food Protection
What is it and what is the current state?
19
Partnership for Food Protection
A collaboration between federal, state, and local public
health and regulatory agencies working together to
ensure food safety.
PFP is comprised of a Governing Council, a
Coordinating Committee, and various workgroups who
help achieve an IFSS.
20
PFP Governing Council Representatives
FDA
Barbara Cassens (ORA)
Jeff Farrar (OFVM)
Tracey Forfa (CVM)
Roberta Wagner (CFSAN)
Mel Plaisier (ORA)
State and Local
Pat Kennelly (CA)
Claudia Coles (WA)
Brian Collins (Plano, TX)
Adam London (Kent County, MI)
Dan Rice (NY)
Bob Waltz (IN)
21
Current State of the PFP
• August 2012 50-State Workshop in Nashville, TN
– 217 attendess
•
•
•
•
•
6 Federal agencies
47 States
20 Local Jurisdictions
3 Territories
8 Associations
– Reviewed PFP Accomplishments
– Developed next steps/projects to address the critical
needs of an IFSS.
22
How do the PFP and IFSS relate to the
Implementation of FSMA?
• The good news is the at many of the PFP and IFSS
initiatives are directly tied to the goals and outcomes
set out in FSMA.
• More work remains to ensure that we identify the
most critical gaps in the IFSS and direct our PFP
efforts to filling those gaps.
23
Thank You for Your Attention
We Welcome Your Questions,
Comments & Suggestions
24