Conference for Food Protection

One of the charges of the CFP National Voluntary Environmental Assessment Information System (NVEAIS) Committee was to "Determine how a NVEAIS could be best supported by the Conference for Food Protection. In addressing this, the committee explored the appropriateness of an amendment to Standard 5, FBI and Food Security Preparedness and Response. In this regard, the committee seeks the Conference's approval to incorporate the following statement in the "Outcome" section of Standard No. 5:

"Regulatory programs are encouraged to also participate in the CDC National Voluntary Environmental Assessment Information System (NVEAIS). NVEAIS is designed to provide a more comprehensive approach to foodborne disease outbreak investigation and response and will provide a data source to measure the impact of food safety programs to further research and understand foodborne illness causes and prevention."

For full text of Standard 5 including recommended addition, see attachment titled: Attachment: Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, Standard 5 - April 2009

In 1998 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developed the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (hereafter called the Standards), which consist of nine standards. Standard 5 is designed to establish best practices related to FBI response and establishes criteria for the surveillance, investigation, response and review of food related incidents. The CDC NVEAIS tool is designed to collect foodborne illness outbreak environmental assessment data and report that data to CDC. As a result, CDC can provide better information to programs on the causes of foodborne outbreaks. This information can be used to identify and monitor contributing factors and their environmental antecedents thus providing information needed to prevent or reduce the risk of foodborne outbreaks associated with food service. This amended language has also been endorsed by the CFP Program Standards Committee and the FDA Clearinghouse Work Group.

that a letter be written to FDA endorsing and recommending that the amendment below (indicated in underline format) be included to the OUTCOME Section of FDA's Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, Standard 5 - April 2009:

A food regulatory program has a systematic approach for the detection, investigation, response, documentation, and analysis of alleged food-related incidents that involve illness, injury, unintentional, or deliberate food contamination.

Regulatory programs are encouraged to also participate in the CDC National Voluntary Environmental Assessment Information System (NVEAIS). NVEAIS is designed to provide a more comprehensive approach to foodborne disease outbreak investigation and response and will provide a data source to measure the impact of food safety programs to further research and understand foodborne illness causes and prevention. (The following link provides additional information regarding NVEAIS: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/)