What Are the Coalition’s Goals and Objectives?
The primary purposes of the CRFSC are:
1. To provide a forum in which, and a process by which, all of the various constituency groups involved in retail food service operations in California can act cooperatively in order to achieve mutual short- and long-term objectives.
2. To identify industry and state and local health-official concerns and evaluate them in terms of provisions of CalCode that might warrant revision.
3. To engage in an ongoing process of reviewing and discussing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s model Food Code, in conjunction with CalCode, with the intent of integrating key components from the Food Code into CalCode if, as, and when it is deemed appropriate to do so.
4. To (i) create a body of experts in the field of food safety that legislators and other decision makers can call upon in order to evaluate proposed changes to the Health and Safety Code prior to the introduction of a proposed bill and thereby reduce the need for special interest legislation, and (ii) serve as a resource to the California Legislature and other elected officials, to regulators, to the public, and to all parties involved in any way with the retail food service industry in California.
5. To serve as a body before which questions or disputes regarding the manner in which CalCode should be interpreted and enforced can be presented and aired. It is intended that this process will result in conflicts which historically would have continued to cause problems and resulted in major controversies locally or at the statewide level have being considered and addressed in a manner that is acceptable to the interested parties.
6. To achieve the maximum possible levels of uniformity and consistency, both within each jurisdiction and as between the various counties, in terms of the manner in which CalCode is interpreted and enforced, and in terms of the manner in which inspections of food facilities are conducted.
7. To promote the integration of science-based consideration into the promulgation and enforcement of food safety laws and regulations.
8. To promote national uniformity of food safety laws and regulations, and the appropriate incorporation into CalCode of national food safety standards.
