Integrating Local, State, and Federal Food Emergency Response Capabilities

 National foodborne illness outbreaks highlight the need for well integrated investigations and responses involving local, state, and federal agencies. To help address this need, the FDA launched the national Rapid Response Team (RRT) Project in 2008. Originally six states and their corresponding FDA District Offices were selected and tasked with developing models that could be used by other programsand agencies to improve, and better integrate all hazards rapid responses to food and feed emergencies.

The 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), authorized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect the public health by making grants to local and state agencies to improve specific food emergency response capacities. This presentation will summarize the lessons learned during the first year of an FDA grant funded pilot project in Michigan designed to better integrate local, state and federal food emergency response capabilities. The majority of food regulatory officials in Michigan are employed by our 45 local public health agencies. Tough economic conditions over the past decade have significantly reduced staffing levels at both the local and state levels, making effective use and coordination of remaining staff more important than ever. Michigan food regulatory and public health agencies are collaborating to improve food emergency planning, to provide joint on-the-job training, and to assess the effectiveness of food emergency responses. These activities are helping move us toward our shared objective of a better integrated national food safety system.