The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified Fulton County Environmental Health Services that they have achieved compliance with Standard 7, Industry and Community Relations as a part of the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards.  To achieve the standard, Environmental Health Services participated in an audit of the division’s educational activities, which included meetings, training seminars and classes attended.

“As part of the Health Services team’s overall performance and quality improvement goals, the Environmental Health Services is participating in this voluntary, regulatory risk-based program to enhance our efforts to ensure safer food at restaurants in Fulton County,” said Fulton County Health Services Director Dr. Patrice Harris.

Additionally, Ms. Carline Richardson, an Environmental Health Services employee achieved standardization in food service establishment inspections through the Atlanta FDA office.  The standardization process consisted of 45 hours of online instruction in topics ranging from microbiology to food borne illness investigation and eight joint inspections with a FDA retail food specialist.

Ms. Richardson will now be able to train and standardize all Environmental Health staff with responsibilities for inspections of food establishments in Fulton County.  Once the entire Environmental Health inspections staff receives standardization, the County will achieve Standard 4, which is the Uniform Inspection program.

While, the State of Georgia has its own standardization program, and Fulton County meets those standards, achieving standardization by the FDA Office will be an added feat based upon its level of rigor and prestige.

The county signed up to participate in the voluntary program in 2009.  The National Retail Federal Food Safety Science Standards Program consists of nine standards that a food service establishment inspection regulatory program can achieve to become a program recognized by FDA. Fulton’s goal is to achieve all nine (9) standards within the next two (2) years.