Arkansas Department of Health's Wholesale/Manufactured Foods Maintenance for State Manufactured Food Programs and Special Project

Arkansas Department of Health's Wholesale/Manufactured Foods Maintenance for State Manufactured Food Programs and Special Project Project Summary Currently the Arkansas Department of Health's (ADH) Wholesale/Manufactured Foods Program (WMFP) in the Food Protection Section of the Environmental Health Branch has been operational and functioning since 2013. Previous to 2013, inspections of manufactured food firms conducted by Arkansas Department of Health staff were conducted on two-hundred firms listed on the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) contract for the year. This project proposal will ensure continued development and maintenance for the Wholesale/Manufactured Foods Program The Cooperative Agreement requested would continue to be used to support our manufactured foods inspection program efforts for the state of Arkansas so that our program progress to continues to meet full conformance with the MFRPS; maintain support for our electronic inspection program and ensure continuation of our participation with the National Food Safety Data Exchange. The ADH mission is to protect and improve the health and well-being of all Arkansans. Building an IFSS and establishing a mutual reliance with federal and state partners will support the ADH mission. With continued FDA support, the Arkansas WMFP can continue to improve food safety within Arkansas and prepare for unexpected food incidents that could potentially extend beyond stateliness in the future. If the award is not approved for the systems and resources requested, the ADH would not be able to continue to fund a Wholesale/Manufactured foods program.