# Completing a second Risk Factor Study and Standard 2 curriculum courses for all Regulatory Food Inspection Staff in Rockingham County North Carolina

> **NIH FDA U18** · COUNTY OF ROCKINGHAM · 2020 · $70,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Rockingham County Environmental Health (RCEH) enrolled in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) on September 29, 2014. The
initial self-assessment was completed on August 27, 2015 and a baseline risk factor study was completed in
2016. Currently, VNRFRPS 1, 3, 4, and 9 have been met and the second self-assessment will be completed by
August 2020. The funding from this grant (FOA # RFA-FD-20-012) will be used to purchase new inspection
software and laptop computers for the Food Safety Inspection Officers (FSIO), employee salaries for time spent
working on the VNRFRPS, and to purchase educational materials that will be used in conjunction with RCEH’s
intervention strategies and manager/person in charge (PIC) training.
 The technology purchased will allow FSIOs to be more efficient and productive in the field and will track
risk factor and public health intervention violations more accurately to improve compliance and enforcement.
Furthermore, the software will more thoroughly document observations noted during inspections, improve
reporting capabilities, and enhance the public interface with easy access to online retail food inspection reports.
 The second risk factor study, which will be completed by the end of June 2021, will allow FSIOs to
determine if the intervention strategies implemented at the conclusion of the baseline risk factor study were
effective at reducing the highest out of compliance risk factors. The methodology developed by the FDA will be
utilized for conducting the second data collection including training data collectors; selecting facility types; and
collecting, analyzing and interpreting data. RCEH will use the FoodSHIELD portal to analyze data and to develop
an updated targeted intervention strategy. This data will eventually be used to complete a trend analysis to
determine if there has been an overall reduction of foodborne illness risk factors.
 Additional educational materials will be purchased to address out-of-control risk factors as part of the
updated intervention strategies. In addition, RCEH would like to develop a targeted manager/PIC training and
remedial training for employees at establishments with out-of-control risk factor violations, purchase certified
food protection manager courses to be offered free of charge and have educational materials translated into
multiple languages.
 This funding is imperative because without it RCEH will not receive the financial means and support that
is necessary from the County Manager, Board of County Commissioners or the Board of Health and Human
Services to continue its advancement in the VNRFRPS.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10149684
- **Project number:** 1U18FD007029-01
- **Recipient organization:** COUNTY OF ROCKINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Meg McGuire
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $70,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10149684

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10149684, Completing a second Risk Factor Study and Standard 2 curriculum courses for all Regulatory Food Inspection Staff in Rockingham County North Carolina (1U18FD007029-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10149684. Licensed CC0.

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