New Study: Analysis of Factors Influencing the Implementation of Risk-Based Inspections

A new study by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) aimed to identify, better understand, and assess the application of Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) methods currently employed by local retail food regulatory programs while seeking to identify the overarching barriers preventing the application of RBI methods.

The study identified success factors by jurisdictions using risk-based inspections—such as funding, training, and leadership buy-in—as well as common barriers – such as inadequate staffing and time needed to train existing staff. Based on the findings, actionable recommendations were derived for national retail food safety partners, federal agencies, and SLTT regulatory programs.

Based on this study, NACCHO and CFP released a new infographic to highlight how the use of RBIs can help improve local health departments’ (LHDs’) relationship with retail food establishments to promote smarter food safety within local jurisdictions. The infographic highlights key strategies LHDs can use to implement RBIs and includes resources from retail food safety partners that could help advance RBI implementation.

Learn more at bit.ly/RBIInfographicFinal.