Conference for Food Protection

2016 Biennial Meeting

Issue View | Council II | 2016 Biennial Meeting

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Issue Number: Council II 022

Issue History

This issue was submitted for consideration at a previous biennial meeting, see issue: 2014, III-017 ; the recommended solution has been revised .

Title

Complimenting Unannounced with Scheduled Inspections

Issue you would like the Conference to consider

30,000+ health inspectors/assessors have an opportunity to be more focused on prevention in keeping with the principles of Active Managerial Control (AMC) and in the spirit of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

A condition for improved learning for food handlers and their managers can be achieved by scheduling inspections rather than trying to learn during routine, unannounced inspections, especially when key managers are missing.

Local initiatives show that a scheduled assessment format is capable of culture change and the building of mutual respect between inspector and operator. Once a program of scheduled inspections is implemented neither party wants to return to former practices.

Discussions with the person-in-charge (PIC) and senior facility management, focused on prioritized risks, uncover many risks that cannot be discovered by observation alone. This point is crystallized in this quote from an operator during an outbreak investigation. "Why didn't you point out all these risks? Why did you wait until we had an outbreak?" http://handwashingforlife.com/blog/mike-mann/scheduled-restaurant-inspections

Public Health Significance

Better-utilized health inspector time can protect the public by minimizing foodborne outbreaks.

Minimally trained foodservice managers and staff threaten public health. Without knowledge of clear risk-based objectives, managers are themselves barriers to effective and sustainable staff training as they set priorities and control budgets. It is the onsite manager education that has been the missing link, and high industry turnover rates exacerbate the issue.

There are approximately 30,000 inspector/trainers in the U.S. who conduct an estimated 20 million retail food inspections per year. Encouraging unannounced inspections will improve public health by focusing some of these inspections on communication and a training partnership between industry and regulators.

Recommended Solution: The Conference recommends...

that a letter be sent to the FDA recommending that the 2013 Food Code Annexes be amended to encourage complimenting unscheduled with scheduled inspection programs by regulatory agencies.

Supporting Attachments

Submitter Information

Name Jim Mann
Organization Handwashing For Life
Address 1216 Flamingo Parkway
Libertyville, IL 60048
Telephone 847-918-0254
Email jmann@handwashingforlife.com

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