Domestic Mutual Reliance Work in Human and Animal Food West Division 1
The Division of Human and Animal Food West 1 (HAFW1) encompasses Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. State counterparts perform contract inspections in both human and animal food facilities.
For more information on Rapid Response Teams, Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards, and other programs, please see FDA and State Counterparts.
Minnesota
The FDA partners with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) for the completion of inspections performed under FDA contract. MDA has been awarded FDA contracts in their manufactured food program and commercial feed program. Their manufactured food program complies with the manufactured food regulatory program standards (MFRPS) and performs contract inspections under Minnesota state authority. Their commercial feed program complies with the animal food regulatory program standards (AFRPS) and performs contract inspections under FDA authority. Accordingly, all state animal food inspectors have been issued FDA pocket credentials.
In March 2022, the FDA announced the signing of a domestic mutual reliance partnership agreement with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture – the first such agreement to include both human and animal food. The work will focus on data and information sharing, official establishment inventory reconciliation and maintenance, and establishing key metrics.
Areas of Collaboration
- Emergency response actions, including product recalls and emerging incidents
- Joint facility inspections
- Compliance actions (when necessary)
- Required training opportunities
- On-the-job education opportunities
- Inspector auditing
- Inventory reconciliation
- Monthly program meetings
- Annual contract work-planning meetings
- Industry information sharing
Additional Resources
North Dakota
The FDA engages with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) in animal food operations. NDDA is contracted to conduct current good manufacturing practice, hazard analysis, risk-based preventive controls, and inspections of food for animals in conjunction with licensed medicated feed, veterinary feed directives, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy inspections. NDDA enters and inspects under FDA authority, therefore maintaining active FDA credentials. NDDA also participates in the produce safety cooperative agreement program. The FDA engages with the North Dakota Department of Health in human food operations. NDDoH does not maintain a contract with the FDA but communicates and coordinates with the agency as needed to protect the public health.
Areas of Collaboration
- Work planning sessions
- Regulated industry information sharing
- Joint inspection of facilities when needed
- Joint inspection of produce farms when needed
- Utilization of state inspectional data to assist with casework
- Regulatory meetings with FDA to discuss non-compliant firms and bringing those firms into voluntary compliance
- Produce Safety Cooperative Agreement Program – Education, outreach, and technical assistance
- Emergency and incident response coordination
- Investigation of consumer complaints
- Meetings as needed
Additional Resources:
South Dakota
Although the FDA and South Dakota do not currently partner in any shared regulatory responsibilities at this time, the agency maintain open lines of communication for recalls, compliance issues, and emerging incidents.
Areas of Collaboration
- Emergency/emerging incidents
- Product recalls
- Compliance issues (where applicable)
Additional Resources:
Wisconsin
The FDA engages with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) in human and animal food operations. DATCP is contracted to conduct current good manufacturing practice, hazard analysis, and risk-based preventive controls inspections of human food and conducts these inspections under state authority. DATCP is in full conformance with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards and participates in other programs with the FDA such as cooperative agreement and pilot programs. DATCP’s engagement with the FDA demonstrates their continued effort in an integrated food safety system.
In September 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Division of Food and Recreational Safety signed a domestic mutual reliance partnership agreement with the FDA to expand collaboration and commitment to protecting public health, as well as enhance the relationship between the agencies as they work together toward an Integrated Food Safety System.
Areas of Collaboration
- Work planning sessions
- Regulated industry information sharing
- Inventory reconciliation
- Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards
- Training, to include on-the-job training, for state partners
- Education for local regulatory partners
- Joint inspection of facilities when needed
- Investigation of consumer complaints
- Sharing compliance activities
- Rapid Response Team
- Product recalls
- Produce Safety
- Dairy Partnership Pilot
- Partnership Agreement
- Non-contracted inspection data sharing
- Long-Term Information Sharing Agreement
- Laboratory capacity, analysis, and reporting
- Laboratory Flexible Funding Model Cooperative Agreement Program
- Utilization of state inspectional data to assist with casework
- Regulatory meetings with FDA to discuss non-compliant firms and bringing those firms into voluntary compliance
- Monthly meetings