Tag Archives: retail food program standards

Man on Computer

FDA Announces Online Retail Program Standards Self Assessment and Verification Audit Courses

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Man on Computer

Individuals conducting self-assessments and verification audits of the FDA Retail Food Program Standards can now take part in online self-guided FDA Retail Food Program Standards Self-Assessment/Verification Audit Courses.

The Retail Program Standards are designed to help food regulatory programs enhance the services they provide to the public by:

  • Identifying program areas where an agency can have the greatest impact on retail food safety
  • Promoting wider application of effective risk-factor intervention strategies
  • Assisting in identifying program areas most in need of additional attention
  • Providing information needed to justify maintenance or increase in program budgets
  • Leading to innovations in program implementation and administration
  • Improving industry and consumer confidence in food protection programs by enhancing uniformity within and between regulatory agencies

These following courses are now open for registration and additional courses are scheduled to be added soon.

  • An introduction to the Program Standards and the Administrative Procedures (Prerequisite to the other nine courses)
  • Standard 1:  Regulatory Foundation (coming soon)
  • Standard 2:  Trained Regulatory Staff (coming soon)
  • Standard 3:  Inspection Program Based on HACCP Principles
  • Standard 4:  Uniform Inspection Program
  • Standard 5:  Foodborne Illness and Food Defense Preparedness and Response (coming soon)
  • Standard 6:  Compliance and Enforcement (coming soon)
  • Standard 7:  Industry and Community Relations (coming soon)
  • Standard 8:  Program Support and Resources (coming soon)
  • Standard 9:  Program Assessment (coming soon)

Register at the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards page.

 

 

FDA

FDA Releases 2017 Retail Food Program Standards

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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FDA

FDA has released the 2017 edition of the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards. These retail program standards offer recommendations for designing and managing retail food regulatory programs, help regulatory agencies pinpoint areas of improvement for the programs, and enable effective strategies for inspections and foodborne illness prevention.

“The FDA encourages government agencies responsible for regulation or oversight of the retail food establishments that sell, serve or vend food directly to the public to enroll in the Retail Program Standards. Enrollment in the Retail Program Standards conveys a jurisdiction’s intent to actively use the Retail Program Standards as a tool to assess and improve its retail food regulatory program.” – FDA

Changes to the 2017 edition of the retail program standards include:

  • Updates to the definition of the training standard
  • Clarifying the standardizing and re-standardizing criteria for food safety inspection officers
  • Aligning program elements between the Retail Program Standard 4 and Retail Program Standard 2 regarding performance elements and competencies
  • Incorporating more methods of communication efforts with industry and the community
  • Consolidating report forms and FDA forms 3519 and 3520 into one FDA Form 3598