Creating a system for meeting and sustaining the use of the Volunteer Retail Food Program Standards (VRFPS) via a Community of Practice Model

County Of Olmsted, Rochester MN

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary Project proposal OCPHS proposes to use the principles of a community of practice model to: ? Assist retail food regulatory programs in meeting the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS), and ? Reduce the number of out-of-control foodborne illness risk factors in the establishments they regulate by using the principles of active managerial control. Long-term objective Local retail food protection programs that use this model will: ? Increase the number of VNRFRPS criteria they meet, and ? Reduce the number of uncontrolled foodborne illness risk factors in the retail establishments they regulate. Aims ? Explore the effectiveness of a community of practice model in increasing the number of VNRFRPS criteria met by participating agencies. ? Develop a systematic approach for meeting the VNRFRPS that can be integrated into the daily operations of a retail food regulatory program of any size. ? Increase active managerial control of foodborne illness risk factors in the retail food setting by further refining PTV methodology*, and disseminating it to other retail food regulatory programs and to the retail food industry. *PTV Methodology- a risk-based approach to evaluating and promoting active managerial control of foodborne illness risk factors developed by Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS). Through a cooperative agreement with FDA between 2012 and 2017, OCPHS has developed a PTV package that can be used by other agencies to implement the methodology.