Grant Proposal AbstractTitle: Conformance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS)(U18). Funding Opportunity Announcement Number (FOA): RFA-FD-12-007The RI Department of Health, Office of Food Protection proposes to develop and maintain arisk-based manufactured food regulatory program in RI in conformance with national standards.This program will be based on best practices, and, at the end of five years, will conform to theFDA Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS). Ultimately this will reducethe risk of foodborne disease in food manufacturing facilities in RI.A Compliance and Evaluation Officer in the Office of Food Protection will be responsible formanaging the MFRPS under the direction of the Principal Investigator and ensure conformancewith the ten elements of the national program standards, which include: the program'sregulatory foundation, staff training, inspection, quality assurance, food defense preparednessand response, foodborne illness and incident investigation, enforcement, education andoutreach, resource management, program assessment, and laboratory resources.The five year plan to meet all MFRPS includes yearly assessment and updates to the strategicplan based upon accomplishments, progress reports, development of required writtenprocedures, continuous training, improvement of data management, implementation of allrequirements for the ten standards, and compliance with FDA audits and development ofinternal auditing to assure continuous quality improvement and long term compliance with allstandards.The RI DOH will also aim to enhance transparency with federal partners and make every effortto provide a foundation for optimal regulatory action when the State or FDA identifies problems.The State intends to support FDA's efforts and is confident that both the State and FDA willbenefit from the partnership.
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) estimates that 48 million people become ill from foodborne illnesses each year in the United States. Food recalls have become almost a daily occurrence. This grant response will reduce foodborne illnesses from manufactured foods produced in Rhode Island through conformance with all Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards within 5 years.
