# Update and implement a strategic plan to direct activities to advance conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards

> **NIH FDA U18** · NORTH DAKOTA STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH · 2020 · $69,999

## Abstract

Research and Related Other Project Information
7. Project Summary/Abstract
The North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Food and Lodging (the Department),
promotes integrated and uniform retail food regulatory programs managed and enforced by
state, local, and tribal government agencies statewide. In addition to the Department, who
regulates and inspects retail food establishments including restaurants, retail food stores, small
food processing plants, child-care and school foodservice kitchens, this authority is delegated to
nine local, district, and city public health units located throughout the state of North Dakota. The
Department provides general oversite and guidance over state and local food safety
programmatic activities including license and inspections, compliance, and enforcement actions
as well as training, code interpretation, and standardization of state and local inspection staff.
The Department is focused on reducing risk factors known to cause foodborne illness outbreaks
associated in manufactured and retail food settings; therefore, it is critical to establish
procedures, protocols, and evidence-based intervention strategies that improve food safety. The
Department benefits from using the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program
Standards (Retail Program Standards) as a framework to prioritize program goals and target
resources for continuous improvement in order to enhance and improve food safety practices in
retail food settings operating in North Dakota. The specific aims in this proposal include: 1)
update and implement a strategic plan to direct activities to advance conformance with the
Retail Program Standards that can be shared and duplicated by local and tribal regulatory
programs across multiple jurisdictions; 2) demonstrate the ability to adequately train regulatory
inspection staff, meet FDA standardization procedures, and establish a quality assurance
program; and 3) improve data acquisition, quality, reporting capabilities, and data sharing using
innovative technology solutions and electronic communication systems.
Deployment of a web-based, electronic license and inspection information management system
has advanced efforts in integrating the state’s regulatory retail food safety information
management system with all nine local regulatory program data systems. Program integration
using modern technology will enhance the ability of data sharing, improve data quality, and
advance methods of communication amongst state and local regulatory retail food programs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10149085
- **Project number:** 1U18FD007015-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTH DAKOTA STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie Wagendorf
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $69,999
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10149085

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10149085, Update and implement a strategic plan to direct activities to advance conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (1U18FD007015-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10149085. Licensed CC0.

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