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“Meeting Challenges Together” – Accomplishments from the

National Food Safety System Project 1999 - 2002

 

Background

The National Food Safety System or NFSS project is an example of how federal, state and local government agencies are working to “meet challenges together.” In recent years, food safety agencies at all levels of government have emphasized the importance of working more collaboratively with one another to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Nation’s food safety system. State food safety officials had urged action, particularly to improve coordination of multi-state outbreaks of foodborne illness.  Significant reports in recent years also highlighted the need for improving our nation’s food safety system. For example, in 1997, the federal interagency report, Food Safety -- From Farm to Table, and the 1998 National Academy of Sciences report, Ensuring Safe Food from Production to Consumption, document the importance of better integration of food safety activities by the many agencies and organizations involved.

 

In recognition of this growing need, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) actively began engaging state and local food safety counterparts, the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to explore new approaches for partnering on food safety.  Since 1998, this has stimulated innovative intergovernmental activities drawing upon the expertise of scores of collaborating federal, state and local officials. The following report describes accomplishments for one of these activities, the NFSS project, during 1999 – 2002.

 

“Meeting Challenges Together”

In 1998, the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) proposed their vision for a vertically integrated food safety system. AFDO believed that the food safety system did not need to be reinvented but that the current system could be vastly improved to be more effective.

 

In response, the HHS/FDA hosted a meeting in September 1998 of food safety officials from the USDA and the CDC and agencies in all 50 states. This historic “50-State meeting” produced a broad consensus on the need to meet challenges together in order to integrate food safety activities at all levels of government. Attendees constructed visions of a successful food safety system, identified current obstacles to achieving that vision and proposed follow-up action items. As a result, workgroups were formed with federal (FDA, USDA, CDC and the EPA) and state and local officials from health, agriculture and environmental agencies. Under the guidance of a diverse, multi-agency Steering Committee, the workgroups were charged with generating ideas for action that would promote an integrated food safety system. The overall purpose of this activity, now known as the National Food Safety System or NFSS project, is to strengthen partnerships among federal, state and local agencies to ensure safe food for consumers and to enhance the response when food emergencies or outbreaks of foodborne illness occur.

 

The five current NFSS project Workgroups are:

  • Roles and Responsibilities
  • Outbreak Coordination and Investigation
  • Laboratory Operations and Coordination
  • Information Sharing and Data Collection
  • National Uniform Criteria

The workgroup and Steering Committee members have agreed that an integrated food safety system should have the following properties: a common vision; national uniform standards; uniform inspections and enforcement; uniform laboratory practices; adequate training; enhanced communications; and most importantly, federal oversight.

 

During 1999, the NFSS Workgroups proposed innovative ideas and provided invaluable assistance on a number of federal activities. In 2000-2001, a number of projects were initiated and/or completed. The activities described below are some of the accomplishments for the NFSS project from 1999 - 2002.

 

NFSS project Accomplishments 1999 – 2002

 

Laboratory Operations and Coordination Workgroup

 

  • The Laboratory Operations and Coordination Workgroup organized a pilot project in 1999 sponsored by USDA/FSIS with eight federal, state and local food safety laboratories (FDA, USDA, two local health departments, two state health departments and two state agriculture departments) to develop standards for E. coli O157: H7 sampling, testing and reporting methods, to accredit participating laboratories, and share testing data among participants.
  • The workgroup, with support from USDA/FSIS, has organized and co-sponsored four training workshops in conjunction with the 1999 – 2002 Annual Educational Conferences of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). Food safety laboratory directors from every state health and agriculture department have been invited and provided funds to attend these sessions.  In 1999, a 3-day Workshop and Training session on laboratory accreditation was held in San Antonio, Texas. This session included an overview of accreditation benefits and requirements, with the goal of developing coordination and trust of laboratory data among laboratories and the end users of laboratory data.  In 2000, a 1-day workshop on sharing of laboratory testing data was held in Burlington, Vermont.  The result of this workshop was an agreement by attendees that uniform national standards should be established for electronic exchange of laboratory, inspection, and surveillance data. The 2001 workshop was a 1-day joint multi-agency federal and state effort co-sponsored by AOAC International in Atlanta, Georgia to develop criteria for single laboratory validation of microbiological testing methods. The 2002 Workshop in Portland, Oregon focused on laboratory food safety and security issues and had over 200 participants.

Joint Laboratory Operations and Coordination Workgroup and Information Sharing and Data Collection Workgroup Project

 

  • The HHS/FDA and USDA/FSIS provided funding in 1999 for a data sharing pilot project proposed by the two workgroups. The goal of the electronic Laboratory Exchange Network or eLEXNET project was to demonstrate how an Internet-based system could be used by the eight participating labs in the E. coli O157:H7 pilot (as described above) to exchange data. The eLEXNET Steering Committee (with members from the two workgroups, the participating labs and FDA staff) provides guidance for the project. In 2000, FDA provided funding to continue the pilot. The proof of concept of the pilot project was demonstrated by the September 2000 implementation of the eLEXNET system to the eight participating laboratories. Through technology, data standardization, a secure network, and a well-designed infrastructure, eLEXNET serves as the Nation’s first integrated food safety system for laboratory food samples and test results data. In 2001, FDA provided funding to expand the system to include data for Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni. 
  • On June 15, 2001, the eLEXNET Pilot Project Team received the HHS Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service "For outstanding contributions to the successful development of the first electronic network to exchange laboratory data among Federal, State and Local food safety agencies."
  • By the end of 2001, 17 state and local laboratories had joined the project. As of July 2002, 53 labs in 37 states have joined the eLEXNET project.

Information Sharing and Data Collection Workgroup

 

  • The Information Sharing and Data Collection Workgroup brought representatives from federal, state and local food safety agencies together in 1999 to discuss the concept of an electronic information-sharing network. The agencies started work to compare/contrast how information can be shared among participants.
  • Workgroup members, as part of the eLEXNET project, agreed to a common format for data sharing, including how the results will be reported, use of food product identification codes (standardized on the FDA nomenclature), and use of common methodology. These agreements were a major accomplishment considering the diversity of the eight participating laboratories. Another accomplishment was the agreement to share the data among the pilot laboratories, and to do it in a way that the pilot participants, and others, can access information directly.

 

Outbreak Coordination and Investigation Workgroup

 

  • The Outbreak Coordination and Investigation Workgroup concentrated its efforts in the development of a set of guidelines for the coordination of multi-state foodborne outbreaks. The workgroup enlisted the assistance of stakeholder groups including AFDO, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) to review the draft guidelines. The document, “Multi-State Foodborne Outbreak Investigations - Guidelines for Improving Coordination and Communication” was published in February 2001 and focuses on communication and coordination of multi-state foodborne outbreak investigations and how to incorporate communication and coordination into Standard Operating Procedures. These guidelines provide a framework for federal, state and local agencies to effectively respond to multi-state foodborne outbreaks and are available at http://www.fda.gov/ora/fed_state/NFSS/Default.htm.
  • In May 2001, members of the workgroup received the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation Award “For exceptional performance in enhancing food safety through a local-state-federal workgroup to improve coordination, cooperation and communication regarding multi-state foodborne outbreak investigations.”

 

Roles and Responsibilities Workgroup

 

  • In 1999, the Roles and Responsibilities Workgroup proposed a draft oversight model for FDA to use to audit state inspections conducted under partnerships and contracts. The audit/oversight system is key to buy-in and operation of a national food safety system. The proposed audit/oversight model was presented to FDA’s Federal-State Committee in July 2000. FDA will use the audit/oversight framework as a component of its plans to improve oversight of state contract inspections.
  • The workgroup proposed a draft model partnership agreement in 1999 for FDA and state food safety agencies. This partnership agreement would allow partnering agencies to integrate some or all common food safety, public health, and consumer protection activities. The draft was presented to FDA’s Federal-State Committee in July 2000. The workgroup has recommended that the partnership framework be implemented as a pilot. FDA will use elements of this model to improve its oversight of partnership agreements.
  • The workgroup developed a conceptual design for a “virtual” National Food Safety Training Center (also known as “Food Safety University”), and discussed this project with various Federal agencies and AFDO. FDA is implementing this concept as part of its on-line training efforts for FDA and state agencies.

 

National Uniform Criteria Workgroup

 

  • The National Uniform Criteria Workgroup formed sub-workgroups in 1999 for retail, seafood, meat & poultry and manufactured foods programs. The goal of these sub-workgroups was to provide uniform commodity/system-specific capacity and performance expectations for food safety services. Using previously-developed FDA retail food standards as a basic template, the workgroup developed a draft set of uniform criteria in 2000 that could be used to evaluate the capacity and performance of local, state or federal regulatory programs for retail foods, meat and poultry, seafood and manufactured foods regulatory programs. The criteria addresses the following areas: the regulatory foundation for the program; having a trained regulatory staff; having a uniform inspection program; conducting foodborne illness investigations and response; carrying out compliance and enforcement activities; having program resources to run a good program; the criteria for determining the success of the program; and lab support to perform needed analyses.

 

State Food Safety Task Forces

In an effort to enhance state and local participation beyond the NFSS project and to get greater input and more diverse perspectives about ways for food safety agencies to work together more effectively, the Roles and Responsibilities Workgroup proposed the establishment of “State Food Safety Task Forces.” In 2000, FDA's State Training Branch developed a meeting model for states to use (based on the topics being addressed by the NFSS Workgroups) and provided funding to establish the Task Forces. Food Safety Task Force partnership agreements have been established in 39 states and most use the NFSS Workgroup structure as a starting point for discussions. FDA and USDA have provided a regional/district liaison to the Task Force for each meeting. FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, Division of Federal-State Relations, issues annual progress reports from the State Food Safety Task Forces. These reports can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/ora/fed_state/food_safety/state_ProgressReports.htm. The goal of each State Food Safety Task Force is to foster communication and cooperation among federal, state and local food regulatory agencies, industry, academia and consumers.

 

Status and Future Direction

The most important element common to the accomplishments of the NFSS project is how these activities have helped improve communication and cooperation among federal, state and local agencies. The project has brought together people who would not normally work with each other and meet on a regular basis. This has been beneficial for the individual projects and also for establishing contacts in other agencies when there has been a need to address other food safety issues.

 

Through 2002, federal, state, and local food safety agencies will continue to build on the work started by the members of the NFSS project. Challenges for this project will be to identify real public health issues and ensure they are being addressed properly, establish clear priorities and stick to them, match expectations with resource availability, and enhance effective communications. FDA intends to continue to provide the overall stewardship for these intergovernmental collaborations, with FSIS, CDC and EPA participation as needed. Based on activities to date, we anticipate that state and local government officials in public health and food safety will continue their active involvement by generating the innovative ideas, offering the expert opinion, and devoting the staff time so needed for the success of the NFSS project in 2002 and beyond.

 

For additional information on the NFSS project, please contact Pete Salsbury, Executive Secretary for the NFSS project Steering Committee at 301-436-2118 or by e-mail at: Peter.Salsbury@cfsan.fda.gov.