Division of Environmental Health Food Safety and Sanitation Program

AFPTF Quarterly Meeting Minutes

• October 17, 2023
• 10 to 11:30 a.m. (Alaska)

Roll Call

Lorinda Lhotka, Bobbie McDonald, Kimberly Stryker, Donald Wingate, Emily Garrett, Lizzy Buckingham, Jeremy Ayers, Forrest Collins, Dena Cologgi, Amber Van Dusen, Payton Bennett, Brian Himelbloom, Kathleen Easley, Stephanie Won, Kassim Kurani, Carol Brady

Meeting Notes

• Opening remarks and introductions, Lorinda Lhotka
• Food Safety and Sanitation program update, Kimberly Stryker
  • Working on the budget for the January legislative session
  • New FDA contract year has just started
  • Part of a project to develop and implement a new information management/database system (SAFHER)
  • A cottage food scoping project for regulatory updates is in progress
  • Staffing: Ytamar Rodriguez has resigned and EHO 4 position will be advertised, Pam Reamer is our new environmental health technician in Soldotna, Gunnar is our new environmental health officer in Ketchikan
• Resources for cleaning up vomit and diarrhea, Lorinda Lhotka and Emily Garrett
• Foodborne Illness Outbreak Scenario and Discussion, Emily Garrett
  • Scenario handout
  • Scenario and Discussion questions
  • Original handout from Alabama

Member Updates

• Section of Epidemiology, Kathleen Easley and Stephanie Won
  • Enteric illnesses are trending down
  • Worked on the foodborne illness outbreak in Palmer
  • Podcast with Carol about vibrio in Alaska
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Kassim Kurani and Payton Bennett
  • Kassim is MEP's new associate director
  • They are holding three HACCP trainings in Anchorage in November
• Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Forrest Collins and Amber Van Dusen
  • Amber is new to ANTHC!
• Office of the State Veterinarian, Lizzy Buckingham
  • Lizzy is starting to do produce safety inspections
  • The lab has a new coordinator for shipping and receiving and also has a new microbiologist
  • Alaska dairy is starting to sell milk at Walmart (Alaska Range Dairy)
• Municipality of Anchorage, Donald Wingate
  • Activity is slowing since summer busy season, continuing to work on projects
  • Submitted grant applications to NEHA
  • Working on special project for handwashing and employee health at temporary events, trying to give away ten portable handwashing stations to vendors
  • Recruiting for new positions and onboarding new staff
• Kodiak, Brian Himelbloom
  • Annual Smoked Seafood School is coming up and Chris Sannito is the point of contact
  • Serves as a process authority for the State and is getting a lot of hot sauce variations from entrepreneurs
• Shellfish program, Carol Brady
  • Podcast with Carol about vibrio in Alaska

Action Items and Closing Remarks

• Action items
  1. None at this time
• Closing remarks
  • Join us for the educational workshop in January!

Next Meeting

• January 22 and 23, 2023
• 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily (Alaska)
• Virtual

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