FSRC → Projects → Enhancing State & Local Roles
Enhancing the Roles of State and Local Government in an Integrated, Prevention-Oriented Food Safety System
Project Description as of May 2008 (pdf)
RECENT AND UPCOMING EVENTS:
Report Release:
Stronger Partnerships for Safer Food
An Agenda for Strengthening State and Local Roles in the Nation’s Food Safety System
April 17, 2009 - Washington, DC
co-hosted by GWU, AFDO, ASTHO & NACCHO
OLDER EVENTS:
Public Symposium:
Enhancing State and Local Roles in Food Safety
June 17, 2008 - Washington, DC
co-hosted by GWU, AFDO, ASTHO & NACCHO
ASTHO-NACCHO Workshop:
Foodborne Surveillance and Outbreak Response
July 1, 2008 - Arlington, VA
AFDO Workshop:
Inspection and Regulatory Activities
July 14-15, 2008 - Las Vegas, NV
Roundtable Discussion:
Review of Initial Findings and Recommendations
December 5, 2008 - Washington, DC
Background
Debate is underway in Washington on how best to strengthen the nation’s food safety system to make it more effective in preventing foodborne illness. While much of the spotlight is on FDA and other federal food safety agencies, their success depends to a large extent on effective coordination and collaboration with food safety regulators and health officials at the state and local level. Thus, as the food safety debate goes forward, it is critical to advance policies and other proposals for strengthening the roles of state and local agencies, in both their community based food safety efforts and as integral parts of the nation’s food safety system.Collaborators and Contact
The project is based at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, where Research Professor Michael Taylor is the principal investigator. He is joined by graduate student Stephanie David. The project team and collaborating institutions include Jim Austin and Joe Corby of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), Adam Reichardt and Sarah Neiderer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Subha Chandar and Michelle Chuk of the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO), and Michael Batz of the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida. For full contact information, see the Project Description, or for more information about the project, email stephanie.david@gwumc.edu.
Approach
This project will develop an agenda for strengthening state and local roles by bringing together state and local officials, their federal counterparts, and diverse stakeholders of the food safety system, including the food industry and consumer groups, to:- Formulate and express a modern vision of the role of state and local government in an integrated, prevention-oriented food safety system;
- Identify gaps or constraints in current law, policy and practice at the federal, state and local levels that inhibit fulfillment of that vision;
- Recommend changes in law, policy, and practice that are needed to enhance the effectiveness of state and local agencies in addressing food safety problems at the local, state and national level;
- Identify specific opportunities to improve collaboration among state, local, and federal agencies; and
- Describe current funding patterns and resource needs at the state and local level.
Workshops and Report
Much of the work of the project will be done through a series of four meetings, as follows:
- Kick-off Symposium
June 17, 2008 in Washington, D.C. - Workshop on Surveillance and Outbreak Response
July 1, 2008 in Arlington, Virginia. - Workshop on Inspection and Regulatory Activities
July 14-15, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. - Workshop on Reviewing Initial Findings and Recommendations
October 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Funding
The project is supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.