Cutting Edge

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (MCESD) launched an innovative inspection program that enhances food safety practices above and beyond regulatory requirements, and strengthens our partnership with industry. This collaborative partnership has resulted in designing a robust food safety system that has created a, “win, win” approach for MCESD, industry, and ultimately, the consumer. Initiated in January 2012, the program called “The Cutting Edge” both reinforces and augments food safety management systems using Active Managerial Control (AMC), a proactive approach to preventing and reducing the risk of foodborne illness. Collaboration with industry was critical in developing an understanding of core food safety principals, and how to incentivize voluntary Cutting Edge participation in a meaningful way on the scale of 19,000 plus permits. Benchmarking conducted revealed no jurisdiction requiring such pre-emptive, intensive documentation and implementation of policies, training, or verification; no other similar or formal program, of any or comparable size, was identified. Cutting Edge uses a systematic approach whereby AMC is established: policy, train and verify. To be eligible for Cutting Edge, establishments must develop written safe food handling policies and procedures that meet MCESD environmental health code standards. They also must train food service workers on these procedures, implement a process to monitor, and verify their performance of these activities, which is followed by a specialized inspection by MCESD to ensure program participants are adhering to these three processes. CY 2013 data show a 28 percent reduction in violations per inspection for Cutting Edge participants. By the first quarter of CY 2013, participants had reduced the occurrence of foodborne illness risk factors in their establishments by 16 percent and demonstrated 24 percent fewer occurrences of foodborne illness risk factors as compared with non-participating establishments. Efficiencies created by the program’s innovative inspection process reflect a 21 percent reduction in inspection times in CY 2013. MCESD proudly has 1,170 establishments currently enrolled in Cutting Edge and this number continues to grow as more establishments become aware of program benefits.