Survey Study -- Current State and Local Government Agencies

FSMA Section 205(c)2 : Introduction

Public Reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to:

Department of Health and Human Services

Food and Drug Administration

Office of Chief Information Officer

Paperwork Reduction Act Staff

1350 Piccard Drive, Room 400 Rockville, MD 20850.

OMB Control #0910-NEW. Expires [date]

September 27, 2012

Dear State or Local Food or Feed Official,

You are receiving this request for information because, as the Program Director, you are considered one of the most knowledgeable officials in your agency. As the Program Director, you also have the ability to draw upon various personnel resources that may be apt to answering specific program questions. FDA is asking for your input in this survey of information regarding your food or feed program.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), under Section 205(c)2, requires that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conduct a review of State and local capacities in order to develop and enhance the food safety and defense capacities of State and local agencies. The development and implementation of the strategies will help achieve the goals under an integrated food safety system to improve foodborne illness outbreak response, accelerate foodborne illness surveillance, strengthen inspection capacity of State and local agencies, improve the effectiveness of partnerships across governments to coordinate food safety and defense resources, and share information on a timely basis. The review is required to include both the current capacities as well as the current needs of State and Local regulatory agencies in terms of: staffing and expertise to perform food safety functions; staffing and expertise to perform food defense¹ functions; laboratory capacity to support surveillance, outbreak response, inspection and enforcement; and information systems to support data management and exchange among regulatory agencies.

After evaluating existing reports and surveys related to the topic areas above, FDA concluded it was necessary to conduct a survey that would provide more timely and complete information. The survey is sectioned into four key areas where the additional information is needed: Food and Feed Safety (Section 1),; Food Defense (Section 2), Information Technology (Section 3), and Interagency Agreements (Section 4). The survey development group will analyze the information gathered to determine gaps and report the findings to the appropriate groups that are working on the FSMA requirements specific to building food safety and defense capacity at the State and local level.

FDA, in collaboration with our partners, will use this information to develop strategies to help food inspection agencies enhance food and feed safety, food defense, laboratories, staffing and capacity, and information systems (IT) for their agencies

FDA has partnered with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) to administer the current survey. FDA and AFDO kindly ask that you complete this survey within 2 weeks of receipt. The survey should be returned to AFDO using the directions stated below. AFDO will compile the results and provide to the FDA for analysis.

Thank you

FSMA Federal-State Integration Team

Instructions

GENERAL INFORMATION

Note: It is strongly recommended that you update to the latest free Adobe Reader software (Adobe Reader X) before starting the survey. Please visit: http://get.adobe.com/reader/

1. The Program Director that is most knowledgeable of the Food/Feed Inspection Program is the targeted respondent and who should complete this survey.
   
   

2. The survey should be completed on behalf of the agency. If possible, coordinate data from other divisions or sections if necessary within the agency and submit only one (1) survey form per agency.

3. If you need to send a partially completed survey to another employee please click File > Save As and save a copy to your hard drive (e.g. Desktop, My Computer). Then open a new email message and attach the partially completed survey.

4. If parts of the survey do not apply, or are not within your agency’s scope of jurisdiction, simply leave them blank.

 

QUESTIONS OR ASSISTANCE

Randy Young
IT Administrator
Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)
(717) 757-2888

ryoung@afdo.org

PRIMARY CONTACT

Please provide a primary contact for this survey:

First Name		Last Name
Agency				State
Title
Email
Phone
Does your agency represent a state or local authority?

HOW TO SUBMIT THE COMPLETED SURVEY

Note: If you encounter difficulties using the Submit Form Button, please attach your completed survey to a new email message and send to survey@afdo.org.

1. Click the Submit Form Button located at the top of the PDF document.

2. Enter your email address and full name in the send form dialog box.

3. Click Send

4. Select Your Email Client

a. Desktop Email Application: Choose this option if you currently use an email application such as Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, or Mail.

2. Internet Email: Choose this option if you currently use an Internet email service such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo!. You will then need to save your form to your computer and return it to survey@afdo.org as an email attachment.

Thank you for your participation and assistance!

Food & Feed Safety

1. Complete the table for those areas your regulatory program has jurisdiction over. Leave blank those areas your program does not have jurisdiction over.

Area	Number of Facilities /Firms	Number of Inspections per Year	How are you determining the number of inspections to conduct per year (check all that apply)
Animal Feed	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Bottled Water	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Dietary Supplements	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Food Salvage	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Manufactured Food	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Milk Shipper / Dairy	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Produce – raw	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Retail Food/Food Service	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Seafood	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Shell Eggs	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Shellfish	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Tissue Residue	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Transporters	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract
Other:      	     	     	Risk Categorization Statutory Requirements Under FDA Contract:      % completed under contract

2. Complete the table for those areas your regulatory program has jurisdiction over by entering the total NUMBER of individuals for each category. Leave blank those areas your program does not have jurisdiction over.

Area	# Inspectors	# Support Staff	# Managerial Staff
Animal Feed	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Bottled Water	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Dietary Supplements	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Food Salvage	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Manufactured Food	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Milk Shipper / Dairy	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Produce – raw	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Retail Food/Food Service	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Seafood	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Shell Eggs	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Shellfish	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Tissue Residue	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Transporters	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time
Other:      	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time	      Allocate 100% Time       Allocate >50% Time       Allocate <50% Time

3. How does your regulatory program adopt federal laws, regulations or national model codes?

Laws are structured so that provisions are embodied into the state law

Adopts equal language with regulations or policies

By reference

Does not have authority to change rules or laws

4. Has your regulatory program adopted federal laws, regulations or national model codes within the last 5 years? 

Yes, embodied into state law

Yes, adopted equal language with regulations or policies

No, why

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Not required

5. Does your regulatory program maintain a record of training for all inspectors and verify successful completion of training?

Yes

No, because

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Not required

6. Does your program require a professional certification or license for inspectors?

Yes, which one? (check all that apply)

State Sanitarian certification or license (LEHP/REHS/RS)

NEHA Certified Professional Food Safety

Other:      

No

7. Does your regulatory program have an established and required training program other than professional certification of license for inspectors?

Yes (complete questions A and B)

1. Does your regulatory program’s training curriculum include any of the following topics? (check all that apply)

Basic Food/Feed Labeling

Basic Pest Control

Basics of HACCP

BSE and Ruminant Feeding Ban

Enforcement

Epidemiology

Ethics

Feed Ingredients, Processing and Technology

Foodborne Illness Investigations

Inspections & Compliance

Microbiology

NIMS/ICS

Prevailing statues, regulations, and ordinances

Professionalism

Public Health principles

Sampling and Sampling Technique

Traceback investigations

Other:      

2. Does your training program include field work?

Yes, Number of field work hours required:      

No

No, why

No resources to train

No local support for a training program

No time allocated for training

Not required for federal/state funding

Not required for inspector standardization/ program accreditation

No program or professional certification required

Responsibility for professional certification delegated to inspector

Other:      

8. Does your regulatory program require continuing education credits (CEUs) for inspectors?

Yes, Number of CEUs per year:      

No, because:

Lack of staff to maintain/review records

Lack of Training Funds

Not a Priority

Other:      

9. Does your regulatory program have written policies that address ethics issues related to training for food, feed or laboratory personnel?

Yes
If Yes, do they address (check all that apply):

Alcohol / drug use during working hours 

Appropriate use of department identification

Approval of Outside Employment Activities

Carrying of weapons  

Conflict of interest

Gifts, Favors and Gratuities

Government property use (computer, phones, credit cards, etc.) 

Government vehicle use (do’s and don’ts) 

Outside employment

Political Activities 

Proprietary information

Public relations and media contact 

Purchases from regulated establishments

Reporting of Financial Investments in regulated industry

Theft of Agency Property 

No

10. Does your regulatory program provide ethics training for new hires and existing employees?

Yes (complete questions A and B)

1. Does it address: (check all that apply)

Alcohol / drug use during working hours 

Appropriate use of department identification

Approval of Outside Employment Activities

Carrying of weapons

Conflict of interest

Gifts, Favors and Gratuities

Government property use (computer, phones, credit cards, etc.) 

Government vehicle use (do’s and don’ts) 

Outside employment

Political Activities

Proprietary information

Public relations and media contact 

Purchases from regulated establishments

Reporting of Financial Investments in regulated industry

Theft of Agency Property

2. Does your program retain records of employee’s successful completion?

Yes No

No

11. Does your regulatory program utilize a risk based classification system for any type of inventory within your jurisdiction?

Yes

If Yes, what criteria are used in your risk classification system? (check all that apply)

Type of processing

Type of foods/feed

Volume produced

Target population

Compliance history

Association with outbreaks/recalls

Other:      

No, because:

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Other:      

12. Does your regulatory program have a system for following up on recalls?

Yes (check all that apply)

Includes procedures for performing recall audit checks

Includes procedures for identifying and maintaining records about essential recall information

Includes procedures for promptly removing recalled products from markets

Includes sharing information on recalls with affected government agencies

Procedures are in writing

No, because:

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of expertise or training to develop a recall system

Lack of inter-agency communication protocols

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Other:      

13. Does your regulatory program have a process for receiving and evaluating complaints?

Yes, does it include: (check all that apply)

Complaint log or database

Standardized complaint form

Standardized complaint follow-up procedure

Sharing information with other stakeholders as necessary

Other:      

No, because:

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Other:      

14. Does your program implement an inspection audit program?

Yes, please check all that apply:

Audit procedures are in writing

Audit results are in writing

Corrective actions are required when deficiencies are identified

No, because:

Not required by law, regulation or contracts

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of expertise and/or training

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Other:      

15. Does your program manage emergency response related to food or feed?

Yes, please check all that apply:

Investigate reports of illness, injury, and suspected outbreaks

Correlate and analyze data

Rapidly notify customers and consumers

Share reports and surveillance summaries with other agencies

Hot wash for best practices

No, because:

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Responsibility of another program within our agency

Responsibility of another program outside our agency

Lack of MOU with responsible agency(ies)

Other:      

16. Does your program conduct trace-back and trace-forward investigations?

Yes No

17. Does your program have a compliance and enforcement program?

Yes, please check all that apply:

Compliance and enforcement strategies are documented in a policies, procedures or guidelines

Critical and chronic violations and violators are tracked

A risk-based system is used to determine scope of investigation, follow-up, or re-inspections

Progressive actions based on established timeline

No, because:

Not required by law

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Other:      

18. Which enforcement tools and compliance actions does your regulatory program have available for use? (Check all that apply)

Cease Operations

Closure

Embargo

Fees and Fines/Civil Penalties

License Limitations

License Revocations

No enforcement tools or actions

Notice of Violation

Recalls

Seizures

Stop Sale

Voluntary Disposal

Other:      

19. Does your regulatory program participate in food safety and inspection education and outreach activities?

Yes, by: (check all that apply)

State program interacts with industry and consumers by sponsoring or actively participating in meetings such as: task forces, advisory boards, associations, or advisory committees

Program post food and feed safety and inspection information on a web site

Program post food and feed safety inspection findings on a web site

Program uses social media to facilitate dissemination of food and feed safety and inspection information in real time.

Other:      

No, because:

Not required by law

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Other:      

20. Does your regulatory program evaluate resources?

Yes, by: (check all that apply)

The program conducts an annual assessment to determine if the program has staffing, budget, and equipment necessary to meet program operations

The program annually calculates the number of field staff needed to conduct inspection/investigation activities of plants/firms/establishments

The program establishes and maintains an inventory of assigned and available inspection equipment

No, because:

Not required by law

Lack of policies and procedures

Lack of staffing to routinely complete this task

Lack of funding to routinely complete this task

Lack of IT support

Low priority

Other:      

Food Defense

21. Food Defense Staff Levels

a. How many staff does your program have who allocate 100% of their time to Food Defense?      

b. How many staff does your program have who allocate more than 50% of their time to Food Defense?      

c. How many staff does your program have who allocate less than 50% of their time to Food Defense?      

22. Does your program have access to and utilize any of the following electronic systems related to surveillance and / or foodborne illness investigation?

eLaboratory Exchange Network (eLexNet) Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X) Food Emergency Response Network FoodNet FoodShield Health Alert Network Homeland Security Information Network – Food and Agriculture Portal InfraGard

Lessons Learned Information Systems National Biosurveillance Integration System National Voluntary Environment Assessment Information System (NVEAIS) PetNet Pro-Med-Mail (International Society for Infectious Diseases) PulseNet Other:      

23. Does your program have a Food Emergency Response Plan?

No

Yes
If Yes, does it address: (check all that apply)

Activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

Chain of Command

Communication

Emergency Management Assistance Compacts (EMACs) and Mutual Aid

Food Emergency Response Teams

Incident Identification

Intra / interstate Coordination

Mitigation

Notification and Action Triggers

Prevention

Recovery

Response Actions

24. Do you have working relationships with the following to support Food Defense? (check all that apply)

Academia Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Consumers Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Emergency Management Emergency Medical Services Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Epidemiology Extension Disaster Education Networks Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fire Department Fusion Center

Industry Related Associations Joint Terrorism Task Force Laboratories Law Enforcement Long Term Care Institutions Media Medical / Health Care Providers National Institutes of Food and Agriculture Non-Government Organizations Private Industry United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Other:      

25. How many times a year does your program use the following mechanism to discuss Food Defense issues with industry owners/operators, outside of Food Defense issues discussed during regulatory inspections?

Annual Association Conferences:       times a year

Emergency Management Event:       times a year

Food Protection Task Force:       times a year

Meetings:       times a year

Over the Phone:       times a year

Tabletop Exercises:       times a year

Workshops:       times a year

Other:             times a year

26. Does your regulatory program provide training or access to training on Food Defense for staff who have food safety and regulatory responsibilities?

Yes
If Yes, indicate the mechanisms utilized: (check all that apply)

Classroom

Distance Learning (online learning)

During re-certification / licensure training

Exercises

On the job training (in a firm/facility)

Webinars

Other:      

No, because: (check all that apply)

Budgetary Issues

Don’t Feel that Food Defense Warrants the Training

Infrastructure Barriers (Computer access limited, high speed internet not available)

No Access to Courses

No Time to Provide Training

Food Defense is not in program’s core mission

Food Defense is not a mandated activity

Not Aware of Training Courses

Other Priorities

Staffing

Other:      

27. Currently, when does your program disseminate or educate entities on the following Food Defense materials, tools and resources?

During…	Don’t Disseminate	Re-Licensure of Facilities	Inspection	Training Sessions	Meetings/ Conference	Other
ALERT: Management Awareness Tool						     
Employees FIRST: Front line food worker awareness tool						     
Food Related Emergency Exercise Boxed Set (FREE-B)						     
Mitigations Strategy Database						     
Preventative Measures Guidance						     
See Something, Say Something (Dec. 2010)						     
Vulnerability Assessment (CARVER+Shock)						     
Other:      						     

28. During a regulatory inspection, how much time on average do personnel spend on the following Food Defense related tasks?

	Zero Time	1-10 Minutes	11-20 Minutes	21-30 Minutes	>30 Minutes
Dissemination of Food Defense Materials, Tools and Resources					     
Food Worker Education on Food Defense					     
Owner/Operator Education on Food Defense					     
Other:      					     

If you answered “zero time” to any, please indicate why: (check all that apply)

Don’t feel the Food Defense risk warrants the inclusion in the program

Lack of available staff

Lack of budget

Lack of necessary equipment

Lack of trained staff

Food Defense is not in program’s core mission

Food Defense is not a mandated activity

Other:      

29. Indicate the last time your regulatory program participated in an exercise with Food Defense objectives:

Within Last Year

1-3 Years

Greater than 3 Years

Never

If Never, please indicate why: (check all that apply)

Don’t feel that Food Defense risk warrants the participation in exercises

Don’t have a food emergency response plan that addresses Food Defense

Don’t have a food emergency response plan to exercise

Lack of budget to support exercise

Food Defense is not in program’s core mission

Food Defense is not a mandated activity

Not enough personnel to support organizing an exercise

Other:      

30. Does your regulatory program have an active grant or cooperative agreement specifically for Food Defense purposes?

Yes No

Information Technology

31. What method does your regulatory program use to record, update and store firm inventory information?

Paper Files

Spreadsheets (Excel, Other)

Other:      

Database

If Yes to Database:

What technology does it utilize?

Oracle SQL Server Sybase

Access DB2 Specify:      

Is it capable of?

Online data entry

Offline data entry with syncing

Online data retrieval

Is it hosted?

Internally Externally

Is it supported by an outside vendor/contract?

Yes No

32. When new firms are added, what method does your regulatory program use to eliminate duplications to the firm inventory?

Manually

Filter Spreadsheet

Automated by Database/Application

Other:      

33. Does your firm inventory include geo-coordinates/geo-location?

Yes No

34. How does your regulatory program issue licenses? (select all that apply)

Program doesn’t issue licenses

Online account allows download or email

Email

Mail

On-site

Other:      

35. How does your regulatory program collect license fees, including late fees? (select all that apply)

Program doesn’t collect license fees, including late fees

Online Payment

Mail Payment

In Person Payment

Phone Payment

Other:      

36. How does your regulatory program assign inspection frequency/priority to a firm?

Database algorithm

Filter Spreadsheet

Manually (supervisor decision)

Individual inspectors maintain list

Other:      

37. How is the inspection list generated for each inspector?

Database algorithm

Filter Spreadsheet

Manually (supervisor decision)

Individual inspectors maintain list

Other:      

38. How does an inspector in your regulatory program access/receive inspection lists/assignments?

Direct communication from supervisor (email, verbal)

Individual inspector pulls list of assignment from database/application (inspector interacts with system)

Database/application generates list of assignment to inspector (system sends to inspector)

Other:      

39. What is the primary way an inspector in your program accesses previous inspection reports, records and consumer complaints prior to conducting field work?

Paper files

Electronic documents (Word, PDF)

Electronic database/application

Other:      

40. How does an inspector in your program document results on appropriate forms during a field visit?

Handwritten

Entered into standalone electronic form (not compiled into a database/system)

Entered into electronic form that is uploaded directly into a database

Entered directly into database/application

Other:      

41. How does an inspector generate documentation to leave with firm/facility?

Handwritten Copy

Prints a Copy

Emails a Copy

42. How do your program’s inspectors submit inspection reports for review?

Submit a Paper Copy

Email a Copy

Files it electronically on shared network

Enters report data directly into a central database/application

43. How do supervisors in your program access inspection reports for review?

Receives Paper Copy

Receives Emailed Copy

View electronic form on shared network

View central database/application

44. How do supervisors in your regulatory program indicate that an inspection report has been reviewed?

Handwritten signature or approval

Electronic signature or approval

Signature or approval is never required

45. How does the regulatory program establish and maintain a firm inspection history?

Paper Files

Spreadsheets (Excel, Other)

Other:      

Database

If Yes to Database

Is it the same system used for firm inventory (question 29)?

Yes

No

If No

What technology does it utilize?

Oracle SQL Server Sybase

Access DB2 Specify:      

Is it capable of?

Online data entry

Offline data entry with syncing

Online data retrieval

Is it hosted?

Internally Externally

Is it supported by an outside vendor/contract?

Yes No

Is it linked to a firm inventory system?

Yes No

46. How does the regulatory program review data in order to conduct a self-assessment and measure efficiencies?

Query Database

If Yes to Query Database, is it via

Advanced search filter

Utilize pre-defined database queries (canned reports)

Create customized queries (custom report builder)

Filter Spreadsheet

Manual review

Other:      

47. How does the regulatory program review data in order to make enforcement decisions?

Query Database

If Yes to Query Database, is it via

Advanced search filter

Utilize pre-defined database queries (canned reports)

Create customized queries (custom report builder)

Filter Spreadsheet

Manual review

Other:      

48. How does your regulatory program share regulatory data with:

	Fax, Mail, Email	Telephone	Web Services (system to system)	Flat File (xml, cvs)	Website	Social Media
Other Divisions within your Agency
Other State and Local Agencies
Federal Agencies
Consumers, Public & Media
Industry

Interagency Agreements

49. Please identify the types of formal² interagency agreements in use by your agency to enhance resources for coordination for food safety and defense.

Contracts

Emergency Mutual Agreement Compact (EMAC)

Executive Order

Food Emergency Response Plan (FERP) based on the NASDA template

Interagency SOPs

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

None

Other:      

50. Please identify all of the agencies you have formal interagency agreements with:

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Hospitals & Healthcare providers

Industry (private laboratories, food manufacturing, distribution, or retail facilities, industry associations)

Local agencies – inter-county/city (e.g., outside your county/city)

Local agencies – intra-county/city (e.g., within your county/city)

Media

Non-profit organizations, including churches and volunteer organizations

Schools

State Agencies outside of your state – interstate

State Agencies within your state – intrastate

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Universities, including Extension

Other:      

51. Please identify the types of resources coordinated by the formal interagency agreements in use by your agency.

Information (select types below)

Lab results

Epidemiological investigations

Inspectional findings

Enforcement actions

Recall information (effectiveness checks, distribution data)

Consumer complaints

Other types of information:      

Personnel

Equipment

Supplies

Office/laboratory space

IT systems

Not applicable

Other resources:      

52. Please identify the types of informal³ interagency agreements in use by your agency.

Adoption of guidelines/best practices by multiple agencies

Alliances

Association

Commodity/area specific partnerships

Food Protection Task Forces

None

Other:      

53. Please identify all of the agencies you have informal interagency agreements with:

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Hospitals & Healthcare providers

Industry (private laboratories, food manufacturing, distribution, or retail facilities, industry associations)

Local agencies – inter-county/city (e.g., outside your county/city)

Local agencies – intra-county/city (e.g., within your county/city)

Media

Non-profit organizations, including churches and volunteer organizations

Schools

State Agencies outside of your state – interstate

State Agencies within your state – intrastate

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Universities, including Extension

Other:      

54. Identify the purpose of the informal interagency agreements your agency has with other agencies for the coordination of resources.

Information (select types below)

Lab results

Epidemiological investigations

Inspectional findings

Enforcement actions

Recall information (effectiveness checks, distribution data)

Consumer complaints

Other types of information:      

Personnel

Equipment

Supplies

Office/laboratory space

IT systems

Not applicable

Other resources:      

55. Are you pursuing the formalization of these partnerships/interagency agreements?

Yes

If yes, using what method:

Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC)

Executive Order

Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP)

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Other:      

No

If no, why:

Cost and resources required

Inability to agree to details

Lack of agency commitment

Legislative constraints

Paperwork is too burdensome

Political barriers prevent formalizing the relationship

Retain flexibility

Other:      

1 *Food defense is not the same as food safety. Food defense focuses on protecting the food supply from intentional contamination from chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents. Intentional acts are generally hard to predict. Food safety addresses the accidental contamination of food products by biological, chemical, or physical hazards. This unintentional contamination of food products can be reasonably anticipated based on the type of processing. (Food and Agriculture Sector Specific Plan, 2010, pg. 11) http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodDefense/FoodDefensePrograms/UCM243043.pdf

2 A formal interagency agreement is a written agreement signed by the leadership of each participating agency.

3 Informal interagency agreements are most likely not written down, however, these is an agreement and understanding between agencies to coordinate food safety and defense resources and minimize the occurrence of foodborne illness

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