New York State Food Safety Division Receives Award
Louisville, Ky, (PRWEB) July 02, 2013 -- The Food Safety & Inspection Division of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets was awarded the Elliot O. Grosvenor Food Safety Award at the 117th AFDO Annual Educational Conference.
The award recognizes outstanding achievement by a food safety program within state departments of agriculture, natural resources, public health, or environmental health in the United States or Canada. It was established in 2010 to honor leaders who best showcase improvement, innovation, or sustained high performance within a food safety program.
Director Stephen D. Stich and Angela Montalbano accepted the award on behalf of their division.
Since passage of the federal Bio-Terrorism Act of 2002, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) has responded proactively to the influx of imported foods that are in violation of federal standards, creating a Bio-Terrorism Imported Food Surveillance Program that trains bio-terrorism food inspectors to conduct imported food surveillance and investigations.
While the surveillance program was in progress the NYSDAM Food Safety Division, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration NY District, took a proactive approach to developing an Integrated Food Safety System. The two agencies teamed up and formed a cooperative federal-state approach for monitoring imported foods. As a result of the positive outcomes, NYSDAM has continued to monitor and conduct imported food investigations with local, state and federal partners.
About AFDO
The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), established in 1896, successfully fosters uniformity in the adoption and enforcement of science-based laws, rules and regulations regarding food, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics and product safety by either drafting regulatory rules or commenting on government proposals. By developing a broad base of support for new approaches, AFDO has become a recognized voice in determining the rules and shape of the regulatory playing field of the future. The consensus that AFDO develops is key to advancing uniform laws, regulations, and guidelines that result in more efficient regulation and less confusion among industry in the marketplace. AFDO develops support for its positions by interfacing with high-level regulatory officials, industry representatives, trade associations, and consumer organizations. This effort continues to have a significant impact on regulations at the federal, state and local level. For more information, visit http://www.afdo.org. Inquiries about AFDO can be directed to AFDO Executive Director Joseph Corby.
Joseph Corby, Association of Food and Drug Officials, 518-860-2838, [email protected]
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