West Virginia Conformance with Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards

West Virginia State Dept Hlth/Human Rscs, Charleston WV

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary The West Virginia Conformance with Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) project is designed to advance West Virginia Bureau for Public Health?s (WVBPH) conformance with the VNRFRPS. The WVBPH VNRFRPS project includes updating regulatory requirements, implementing innovative outreach strategies for industry and consumers, and maintaining an environmental health electronic reporting system for food inspections. The program plans to develop a train-the-trainer program to provide food safety training to a school-age audience. WVBPH also intends to meet face- to-face with a person-in-charge at each facility regulated by the agency to discuss control of food safety risk factors. The state?s food protection program will be strengthened by identification of out-of-control risk factors in the retail food setting by the inspectors and facilities, and training in how to implement control measures to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The project will make the state?s program comparable to retail food programs across the state and nation enrolled in VNRFRPS, resulting in a more integrated food safety system. WVBPH plans share training materials developed as part of this project with other regulatory agencies.