Source:  NCDA&CS, 7/13/11

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the first recipient of a new food safety award presented by the Association of Food and Drug Officials.

The department received the Elliot O. Grosvenor Food Safety Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by food safety programs within state departments of agriculture, natural resources, public health or environmental health. Agencies in the United States and Canada are eligible for the award.

“We are honored to be the first state to receive this award for our food safety efforts,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Our Food and Drug Protection Division has worked hard to be a national leader in food safety through initiatives aimed at prevention, education and rapid response, and it’s great that our efforts have been recognized.”

Food and Drug Protection Director Dan Ragan accepted the award at AFDO’s recent annual meeting.
AFDO Executive Director Joe Corby praised department employees for their commitment to advancing food safety efforts in North Carolina and nationally. “I congratulate them for their leadership demonstrated during several national food safety episodes and for helping to guide the debate for food safety reform in this nation,” he said.

AFDO, formed in 1896, works to foster uniformity in the adoption and enforcement of science-based product safety laws and rules for food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics. The association is based in York, Pa.