In 2012, the City of Berkeley Division of Environmental Health completed an updatedself assessment of the retail food safety program using the Voluntary National RetailFood Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards) and identified areasfor improvement. In summary, the assessment identified the need for a written programplan with administrative policies and procedures. This project will focus resources todevelop a Retail Food Safety Program Plan to meet Standard No. 2 (Trained RegulatoryPersonnel), Standard No. 3 (Inspection Program Based on HACCP Principles),Standard No. 4 (Uniform Inspection Program), Standard No. 5 (Foodborne IllnessInvestigation, Food Security, and Response), Standard No. 6 (Compliance andEnforcement) and Standard No. 7 (Industry and Community Relations). The first year ofthe project will focus on meeting Standard No. 2 by conducting a baseline survey of allretail food facilities, developing an inspection program based on Hazardous AnalysisCritical Control Point Principles, and developing a training program plan to standardizeinspections. The second year of the project will focus on meeting Standard No. 5 bydeveloping and exercising a Foodborne illness and Food Security PreparednessResponse Plan. The response plan will be amended based on the evaluation of theexercise. The third year of the project will focus on completing Standard No. 7 byconducting a community food survey and developing a community relations program.The fourth year of the project will focus on completing Standard No.4 by developing andimplementing a quality assurance program. The fifth year of the project will focus oncompleting Standard No. 6 by developing a Compliance and Enforcement plan andcompleting FDA Retail Program Standards verification audits.
The goal of the project is to develop a Retail Food Safety Program Plan that complies with the FDA Voluntary National Retail Program Standards to reduce the occurrence of CDC risk factors linked to foodborne illness and improve the effectiveness of the local regulatory program. Having a comprehensive plan in place will improve program effectiveness, promote active managerial control by food facility operators and will reduce the incidence of CDC risk factors. This will lead to fewer cases of foodborne illness thereby improving public health outcomes.
