Division of Environmental Health Food Safety and Sanitation Program

AFPTF Quarterly Meeting Minutes

• July 18, 2023
• 10 to 11:30 a.m. (Alaska)

Roll Call

Lizzy Buckingham, Julie Cascio, Melissa Chlupach, Sarah Coburn, Claudia Coles, Dena Cologgi, Brehan Corveau, Shareen Crosby, Kathleen Easley, Beth Fitzgerald, Emily Garrett, Kristi Hensley, Brian Himelbloom, Lorinda Lhotka, Bobbie McDonald, Kimberly Stryker, Ryan Wiswesser, Stephanie Won

Meeting Notes

• Opening remarks and introductions, Lorinda Lhotka
• Food Safety and Sanitation program update, Kimberly Stryker
  • New staff in the Fairbanks and Soldotna offices, going through training
  • Recruiting for EHO 1/2 position in Ketchikan
  • Busy season for inspections, temporary food service, Bristol Bay fishery, state fairs
  • Compiling risk factor data from inspection database and analyzing it to inform interventions
  • Updating webpages, please provide feedback
  • Cottage Food scoping project
• Scoping project and public comment period for exemptions, Beth Fitzgerald
  • Link to Public Scoping for Cottage Food Regulation Updates is no longer active
  • Please comment, note that comments are public
• Annual Educational Workshop, Emily Garrett
  • Reviewed data and feedback from April's educational workshop
  • Request for volunteers to participate in planning the 2024 educational workshop, the first planning meeting will be in August
  • Next year's workshop is scheduled for January 22 and 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily
• Focus areas and goals of the task force during the next 3-year grant cycle, Lorinda Lhotka and Emily Garrett
  • Task force focus areas were identified for the upcoming Manufactured Food program funding cycle
    • Enhancing partnerships in an Integrated Food Safety System;
    • Educate stakeholders on new laws, rules, and regulations; and
    • Educating consumers.
  • Task force activities for the continuing Retail Food program funding cycle include holding at least one in-person meeting in Anchorage that is focused on retail food issues and getting input from industry
  • Help requested from members to help complete the activities for manufactured food funding:
    1. Establish organizational governance documentation, including a vision statement, mission statement, and logic model to describe the task force's focus areas, inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes
    2. Hold one governance meeting each year with membership to review organizational governance documentation, vision statement, mission statement, and logic model

Member Updates

• Section of Epidemiology, Kathleen Easely
  • Stephanie Won, attending this meeting, is their new nurse consultant and increases their capacity
  • Visited Washington state for training and information about foodborne illness outbreaks
  • They are working on improving investigation strategies, including the interview process
• Office of the State Veterinarian, Sarah Coburn
  • No updates regarding new raw milk regulations, so far nobody has registered or applied for a permit
  • FDA is coming in September to conduct inspections for the Grade A dairy program
  • Trips planned in the fall for produce inspections
  • Worked with Cooperative Extension, went through Southeast communities for outreach, traveled by boat
• Environmental Health Laboratory, Dena Cologgi
  • No updates
• Chugach Chocolates, Ryan Wiswesser
  • No updates, but trying to hire new staff
• University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, Julie Cascio
  • Next certified food protection manager class is August 1, last day to register is today
  • Looking for exam proctors across the the state
• University of Alaska Anchorage Dietetics and Nutrition, Melissa Chlupach
  • No updates, it's summer break!
  • Alaska Food Policy Council is looking for sponsors, presenters for the conference this fall
• Wendy's, Kristi Hensley
  • No updates, but glad to join today!
• Seafood Products Association, Claudia Coles
  • Virginia Ng has taken a position with Washington State Department of Agriculture
  • Salmon Control Plan has changes, the sampling protocol has been updated and modernized
  • ISO accreditation was renewed
  • Continuing to offer training, more sensory trainings for industry and best handling practices on boats
  • Updates regarding Seafood HACCP Alliance, Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, Project Gabe (narcan)
• Brian Himelbloom
  • Continues to work as a process authority, receives referrals from Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Entrepreneurs are trying to develop new products, he has been working with mostly non-seafood (some seaweed) products; marine salt, fermented food products, a restaurant doing sous vide, acidified sauces, dried tuna sticks (Hawaii)
  • Also working with Chris Sannito on heat distribution studies to find cold spots in the smokehouse so the operator can adjust time and temperature

Action Items and Closing Remarks

• Action items
  1. Let Lorinda or Emily know if you'd like to participate in planning the 2024 Alaska Food Protection Task Force Educational Workshop
  2. Let Emily know if you'd like to participate in drafting governance documents, a logic model, etc.
• Closing remarks
  • Join us in-person in Anchorage for the next meeting!

Next Meeting

• October 17, 2023
• 10 to 11:30 a.m. (Alaska)
• Virtual and in-person in Anchorage
• First floor conference room at the Department of Environmental Conservation building, 555 Cordova Street

Be sure to sign up for the Alaska Food Protection Task Force email list.