Conference for Food Protection

The CFP Certification of Food Safety Regulation Professionals (CFSRP) Work Group has identified specific initiatives pertaining to the training and professional development of regulatory retail food safety inspection officers that require continued Conference deliberation. A 2010-2012 CFP Certification of Food Safety Regulations Professional (CFSRP) Work Group should be re-created by the Conference to continue the work on these initiatives.

A national model that addresses training and the professional development of all regulatory retail food safety professionals - including third party independent auditors - is essential to enhancing the effectiveness of the nation's retail food protection system. The model training plan and log, field training worksheets, and joint field training process presented in the CFP Field Training Manual for Regulatory Retail Food Safety Inspection Officers (Field Training Manual), approved at the 2008 Biennial Meeting are only a part of a professional development continuum that is needed to ensure all regulatory retail food safety professionals have the knowledge and skills to effectively conduct inspections of retail food stores, restaurants, and/or institutional foodservice facility types.

The Standard 2 training and standardization model should be viewed as a working document that will need to be updated and revised to meet the ever changing retail food safety environment. The Conference for Food Protection provides the mechanism to:

- maintain and update this national training model;

- explore additional training and/or assessment needs for regulatory retail food programs; and

- build consensus among all retail food safety stakeholders.

Results from the follow-up interviews with Assessment of Training Needs ATN pilot jurisdictions indicated support for the development of an audit tool that mirrored the CFP Field Training process. The Work Group reached consensus that the audit process, whether included as part of Standard 2 or provided as a stand alone process, should be fully compatible with the CFP Field Training Plan included as part of Appendix B-2, Standard 2, FDA Program Standards (2009).

In order to eliminate potential program redundancies, the CFP CFSRP Work Group is recommending a new 2010-2012 charge to collaborate with FDA to review all initiatives: existing, new or under development; involving the training, evaluation and/or certification of food safety inspection officers. This collaborative working relationship will ensure the sharing of information to prevent any unnecessary redundancies in the creation of work products or assignment of tasks/responsibilities. This collaborative effort will include an assessment of the need and potential structure for incorporating Food Safety Inspection Officer "Performance Audits" as a component of the Program Standards.

In addition, a new charge for this Work Group is proposed based on an increase in the number of independent third party auditors contracted to conduct regulatory oversight inspections of institutional foodservice, restaurant, and retail food store facilities. Some areas of the country are beginning to disband the local regulatory retail food protection agency and contract the work to nongovernmental organizations. Currently, a national standard upon which to evaluate the education and qualifications of independent third party auditors does not exist. Legislation has been introduced at the federal level that contains language that would recognize third party audits as a legitimate use of resources to enhance food safety. Since these issues are not solidified at the time of submittal of the Work Group report to the Conference of Food Protection, a closer look over the next two year cycle is in order.

that a 2010-2012 Certification of Food Safety Regulation Professionals (CFSRP) Work Group be re-created to address the following charges:

1. Collaborate with the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the FDA Division of Human Resource Development to:

• Review all initiatives: existing, new or under development; involving the training, evaluation and/or certification of Food Safety Inspection Officers. This collaborative working relationship will ensure the sharing of information so as not to create any unnecessary redundancies in the creation of work product or assignment of tasks/responsibilities.
• Review and revise, as needed, Standard 2 classroom curriculum, time frame for completion of Steps 1 through 4 for new hires or staff newly assigned to the regulatory retail food protection program.
• Determine if the CFP Field Training Manual and forms have completely addressed all recommendations recieved as part of the 2007 Assessment of Training Needs (ATN) pilot project.

2. Eliminate the potential redundancy of multiple verification tools (FDA Retail Food Level I Performance Audit and FDA Procedures for Standardization and Certification of Retail Food Inspection / Training Officers) utilized by FDA programs, work in collaboration with FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA's National Retail Food Team and the FDA's Division of Human Resource Development to:

• Conduct a pilot project over the next year using the FDA Retail Food Level I Performance Audit with a limited and selected number of jurisdictions. The FDA Performance Audit will be piloted for use during the two joint inspections conducted as part of the quality assurance component of Standard 4 - Uniform Inspection Program. An outline of the pilot project objectives, protocol, and projected timeline is included as Attachment A with this Issue. The CFP CFSRP work group will submit a report to the 2012 Biennial Meeting that documents the result of the pilot project and any recommendations for the use of verification tools as part of the FDA Program Standards; and,
• Conduct a joint assessment of FDA Standardization Procedures and FDA Performance Audit documents to determine if both verification tools are equally viable with distinct purposes and outcomes; and,
• Explore the feasibility of merging these existing verification tool documents and provide a plan for consolidation of such; and,
• Upon determination, assess the placement and administration of final verification tool(s) within the FDA Program Standards as appropriate, or separately as appropriate; and,

With input and guidance from the CFSRP Work Group, FDA will determine if modifications to their draft FDA Performance FDA Retail Food Level I Performance Audit and/or Standardization documents are needed. Any modifications that would include changes to the Program Standards will be submitted as Issues by the CFP CFSRP Work Group to the 2012 Biennial Meeting.

3. Collaborate with FDA, other federal agencies, professional and industry associations to research what criteria is currently being used to assess the education and training qualifications of independent third party auditors that have been contracted to conduct institutional foodservice, restaurant, and retail food compliance inspections in lieu of a State/local/tribal regulatory retail food program. The re-created Work Group is to provide a report to the 2012 Biennial Meeting that:

• Assesses the number of jurisdictions and geographic areas where retail food compliance Inspections are conducted by independent third party auditors in lieu of a regulatory compliance program;
• Delineates the reasons jurisdictions have moved to a third party auditor inspection compliance program;
• Summarizes criteria used to select third party auditors for inspection compliance oversight responsibilities including, but not limited to, education and training qualifications;
• Assesses and determines appropriate training and standardization processes/protocols for third party auditors, and
• Identifies any agencies/organizations/working groups currently addressing education and training standards for third party auditors conducting retail food compliance inspections.

Based on the above research, the work group will provide a recommendation to the Conference as to what actions/initiatives, if any, need to be undertaken to provide a national structure for ensuring that third party auditors possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct retail food program compliance inspections.

4. Evaluate and determine the best approaches to promoting awareness and implementation of the national training model contained in the CFP Field Training Manual and forms, Appendix B-2, Standard 2. The Work Group will:

• Research the use of websites, list serves, newsletters, testimonials, presentations, and training workshops, etc.
• Assess opportunitite for enhancing the electronic versions of the CFP Field Training Manual and forms to minimize paperwork.

5. Report back to the 2012 Biennial Meeting its findings regarding the above charges.