WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) announced Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarded a $70,000 grant to Lake County Environmental Health for the evaluation of risk factors and prevention of foodborne illnesses.
“This grant will give the dedicated officials at Lake County Environmental Health the resources they need to study risks and prevent foodborne illness. I am proud to have supported this funding, and will continue to support it in the future,” Thompson stated.
Environmental Health has been enrolled in the voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards since 2006. County agencies use the standards as a tool to ensure food safety and sanitation through permits and inspections of retail food establishment.
With the federal grant, Environmental Health will be able to improve food safety by making further use of the National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards and their prescribed methodology, according to Thompson.
“We are looking forward to working with our federal agency partners on this exciting project,” Jim Brown, director of Lake County Health Services, said. “The grant funding allows us now to develop significant consumer protection with the extra cost not directly borne by local businesses.”
