Partnership and Workforce Development Unit (PWDU)
Best Practices Manual

For Administering Consistent, Uniform, and Safe Food, Pools, and Lodging Programs in Minnesota

In April 2007 an Advisory Council was formed to review the draft Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Delegation Agreement for Food, Pools, Lodging Services. The Advisory Council recommended formation of a workgroup to compile a best practices manual to accompany the Delegation Agreement.

The Manual is the result of that recommendation, and the product of several writing groups made of more than sixty state and local public health staff. The Manual is seen as a living document that will be revised, refreshed and augmented over time to reflect changes in science, practice, and the demands of the profession of environmental health.

Purpose

The purpose of the Manual is to provide best practices for program managers, administrators, and staff to deliver consistent, uniform, and safe retail food and beverage, lodging (i.e., hotel, motel, manufactured home parks (MHP), recreational camping areas (RCA), and youth camps), and public swimming pool programs throughout the State of Minnesota.
The content of the Manual is based on the following:

• MDH Mission, Vision and Values
• US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards

Each section includes the following elements:

• Summary of applicable MDH Delegation Agreement requirements.
• Recommended best practices to help regulatory agencies fulfill or exceed the requirements of the MDH Delegation Agreement.
• Recommended state and national materials and resources.

Manual by section

• Table of Contents and Introduction (PDF)
• Section One: Regulatory Foundation (PDF)
• Section Two: Trained Regulatory Staff (PDF)
• Section Three: Inspection Program Based on HACCP Principles*
• Section Four: Uniform Inspection Program.*
• Section Five: Foodborne Illness and Food Defense Preparedness and Response*
• Section Six: Compliance and Enforcement*
• Section Seven: Industry and Community Relations*
• Section Eight: Program Support and Resources*
• Section Nine: Program Assessment*
• Appendix A: Definitions*
• Appendix B: Acronyms*
• Appendix C: Resources*

*Under development

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Review and comment instructions

Your input is important to the development of the Best Practices Manual for Administrating Consistent, Uniform, and Safe Food, Pools, and Lodging Programs in Minnesota. Please review the instructions below to provide your comments and suggestions on sections that are open for review and comment.

Who should comment?

Food and beverage, lodging (i.e., hotel, motel, manufactured home parks (MHP), recreational camping areas (RCA), and youth camps), and public swimming pool program managers, administrators, staff and other interested parties.

What sections are available for comment?

For focused revisions, only the section(s) designated with a close date will be available for review and comment. Subscribe to this page if you would like to be notified when new sections are posted and open for review and comment.

When to comment?

Provide comments by the close date. Each section will open for a 30 day review and comment period. Once the comment period is closed, each section will still be available for viewing until the final version is posted on this website.

How to comment?

When submitting comments, remember to:

• Identify the page and line number on which you have comments.
• Explain why a change is needed, suggest alternatives and substitute language for your suggested change(s).
• Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and suggested alternatives.
• Submit comments and suggestions to health.foodlodging@state.mn.us by the comment period close date.

Comments received will be evaluated and incorporated into the final version of each section of the Manual. The number of comments received will determine the time to incorporate changes to the final version of each section. The final version of each section will be made available on this website. Please note comments will not be made public, nor will there be a response to comments received.

If you have questions regarding the review of the Manual, please call 651-201-4500.

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