The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Food &Drug Protection Division ('the Division') executes its mission of ensuring a safe and secure foodsupply by enforcing the North Carolina Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, the North Carolina DairyLaws, and the North Carolina Egg Law. The Division conducts inspections of manufacturedfoods facilities and certain egg facilities under contract with the FDA. The food regulatoryprogram is an active participant in the integrated national food safety system, and has elected theMFRPS implementation option under the food contract. The Division also contributes to thePartnership for Food Protection as part of the auditing workgroup. Through the proposedactivities, the Division seeks to enhance its capacity to conduct inspections, adhere to a risk-based approach to food safety, respond effectively to food safety incidents, and collaborate withpartner agencies. The following goals and criteria are targeted in this proposal:Criteria 1: Achievement of goals states in the RFAGoal 1: Innovate and deploy information-based food safety tools in support ofan integrated national food safety systemGoal 2: Build capacity to conduct food safety inspections and investigations throughimproved information management and trainingGoal 3: Enhance public health outcomes through improved data management andanalytical capabilityGoal 4: Provide evidence and metrics of improvements in program performanceCriteria 2: Develop a sustainable, scalable, and portable inspection data management productincluding training modules and best practicesCriteria 3: Provide detailed evidence-based assessment tools to evaluate implementation,monitor performance, and identify improvement targetsCriteria 4: Demonstrate and model success in collaborating with partner agencies within theintegrated national food safety systemCriteria 5: Provide a detailed budget for development and implementation of the proposedintegrated inspection data management system
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture &Consumer Services, Food and Drug Protection Division proposes to improve public health outcomes by creating an integrated inspection data management system. The project will deploy mobile tablets, mobile broadband technology, and a central database to create a powerful tool for statistical trends analysis of inspection data, interagency information sharing and collaboration, and improved inspection efficiency. Complementary objectives of sustainability, scalability, and portability will promote adoption of the product and broad accrual of public health benefits throughout the national integrated food system.
