If you’re in the food service industry you know that few industries are as complex or evolve as rapidly as this one. The ever growing list of responsibilities for a successful food manager suggests someone who is part chef, fortune teller, engineer, magician, recruiter, and trainer who is able to:
- Forecast changing consumer preferences and trends,
- Identify global sourcing to meet the demands of fickle customers,
- Ensure training among all staff despite high employee turnover, and
- Diligently implement safe food handling practices to prevent a food incident.
These are just some of the challenges food industry professionals face. Few challenges, however, are as critical or as daunting as preventing illness, and possibly worse, as a result of a foodborne illness outbreak. It is not surprising that industry professionals, who were eager to ensure they would be prepared to handle an outbreak or a food recall, were the impetus for a program most recently funded by the FDA called the Industry-Foodborne Illness Investigation Training and Recall Response (I-FIIT-RR).
Many organizations are involved in efforts to mitigate the effects of the estimated 48 million annual foodborne illnesses on public health. The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) developed a program that brought various regulatory professionals together to collaborate on foodborne investigation trainings that they were often called upon to assist. These workshops, called Epi-Ready, brought together for the first time laboratory, public health, environmental health, and epidemiology practitioners to train for an outbreak investigation and look at the roles, responsibilities, and perspectives of each profession to form a better collaboration and response.
News about the Epi-Ready workshops spread among food industry professionals who could see the immense benefit of receiving training prior to an outbreak alongside the regulatory people who would be involved in an outbreak investigation. The collaborative training model of I-FIIT-RR is directed at the retail food industry, which provides a direct link to the consumer and food products. This completes the communication loop between environmental health professionals who are tracking the potential cause of an illness outbreak or food recall and the public whom they strive to protect.
“Finally industry is brought into the fold as active participants in the investigations process,” says Cindy Rice, RS, MSPH, CP-FS of Eastern Food Safety.” They have the ability to respond, and this course brings them out of the dark, giving them what they need to know so they can take action.” Rice is a national food safety consultant who owned her own catering, café, and food manufacturing businesses.
Working Together
The success of the four I-FIIT-RR workshops held in 2013 and 2014 was immediately apparent. Regulators, who had plenty of knowledge about illness investigations but limited time and staffing resources to go it alone, complemented industry professionals, who were committed to being active participants in the investigations and recall process but needed support and guidance from their regulatory counterparts. As a direct result of the workshops, not only were collaborative relationships forged, but several resources were created and are now available from www.nehafoodsafety.org for food safety professionals that benefit both industry and regulatory agencies.
The Recall Response Form allows industry to document their activities during a food recall and can be used to streamline communication between industry and the regulatory agency during a food recall. Proactively forwarding this form to the appropriate food regulatory agency allows that agency to be fully informed early on in the recall process, improves collaboration, and enables a more efficient process that maximizes use of limited resources.
Another resource was developed that sums up the collaborative ideas from industry and regulators to improve food recall investigations. Suggestions to Improve Recall Response is also available at www.nehafoodsafety.org.
NEHA now has a fully vetted and developed I-FIIT-RR training workshop on retail food industry outbreak investigations and recall response. The workshop is also consistent with and incorporates the nationally recognized and approved guidelines, Foodborne Illness Response Guidelines for Owners, Operators, and Managers of Food Establishments developed by the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response. I-FIIT-RR trainings continue to empower food establishments across the U.S. NEHA is also in the process of developing an online version of this training, which will be available for industry and any other interested parties. In addition to these workshops, NEHA will be offering several live webinars on food recalls and effective industry response in 2015.
A Thirst for Knowledge
With roots well-grounded in food safety, NEHA began in 1937 as a way for the then developing profession of environmental health to establish standards of practice that prove an individual has mastered a body of knowledge and acquired practical experience to perform work responsibilities to protect public health. The Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) credential proves demonstrated expertise in conducting facility and systems inspections, leading complaint and epidemiology investigations, promoting public health awareness, and responding to community emergencies. While food safety comprises a large percentage of an REHS/RS professional’s time, they are also called upon to apply process and technical knowledge to areas of water quality, air quality, hazardous material handling, and vector control.
The evolution of the U.S. and global food industry, from supply to processing, distribution, and retail, created the need for more specialized, in-depth food safety training that focused exclusively on this unique and complex industry. Recognizing that retail food managers are the frontline staff playing a crucial role in ensuring food safety for consumers, NEHA developed the Certified Professional–Food Safety (CP-FS) credential. This credential can be obtained by someone who has a food background; it provides expertise in:
- Developing food safety policies, procedures, and training;
- Assessing food safety, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) principles, food microbiology, etc.;
- Reviewing facility/building plans in compliance with local laws, regulations, and permits;
- Investigating foodborne illness;
- Performing recall activities;
- Managing food defense practices; and
- Responding to emergencies.
“The CP-FS challenged me to study and grow in a specific area, which has served me well,” says Lars Johnson, CP-FS, president of LAJ Consulting, LLC/FoodSafetyGuy, who has 25 years of food service operations experience. “I find that having the CP-FS gives me an advantage over others, having to learn more about the underlying biology, regulatory perspective, and equipment standards. I also see benefit in having this credential because the biannual renewal and the CE requirement forces me to stay current and also to engage other environmental health professionals in relevant discussions.”
The advent of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) adds to the arsenal of required knowledge for those involved in any aspect of the food supply chain. The Global Food Safety Initiative aims to assure the safety of the food supply chain through collaboration between the world’s leading food safety experts from retail, manufacturing, and food service companies, as well as others. NEHA’s involvement with policy and these types of collaborations in the food industry occurs on many levels and ensures that the food safety credentials it offers serves professionals who work in a variety of settings, is relevant to their jobs, and remains current to keep pace with frequent changes in the industry.
More Educational Options
Two additional food safety credentials—Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety (CCFS), which prepares those managing and evaluating food facilities and food production processes across the entire food chain supply, and the Food Safety Auditor, which is still in development—provide advanced levels of training to meet the goals of food safety professionals. The CCFS is geared toward a more seasoned professional who upon successful completion of the credential is trained to manage the food flow; evaluate food facilities and equipment; ensure regulatory compliance; prevent contamination and adulteration; and manage a food defense plan, adverse events, and a sample collection program.
There is no shortage of programs that offer training in food safety. When choosing where or how to obtain food safety training, managers have many factors to consider including reputation of the organization, cost, relevance to meet the level of the trainee, availability of updates and revisions, and access to a variety of training formats. In addition, food safety professionals must understand local, state, national, and global regulations that affect their facility operations. The benefit of obtaining a nationally recognized credential is the transferability across state lines, and the requirement for continuing education to maintain the credential ensures that the professional is up-to-date on the most recent changes affecting the industry.
Collaborating with industry and all levels of government provides a bridge between regulators and food professionals in retail, manufacturing, and processing—an opportunity to work together towards the same goal. With the support of their food regulatory agencies, industry representatives can take coordinated steps to respond properly to an illness outbreak or food recall. Swift, appropriate action can help to minimize unsafe products ignored or left behind on the shelves of stores, in restaurants, and in homes and restores faith in the food service industry. Individuals and organizations with demonstrated success in facilitating cross-functional collaborations and with specialized expertise in the food supply chain will be a crucial factor in creating an efficient worldwide system that promotes best practices for a safe global food supply.
Baker is the program administrator at NEHA. Reach him at [email protected]. Landeen is the assistant manager, research and development, at NEHA. Reach her at [email protected].
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