Response to Food Protection Task Force Conference Grant (PAR-09-123) Project AbstractThe Vermont Department of Health (VDH) is applying for funding to create a state food protection taskforce with the goal of improving food safety and protection from farm to table in Vermont. It has beenover 10 years since the last multidisciplinary food safety group disbanded in Vermont. Since then,there has been no organized forum for industry, regulators, academia, and other service providers towork together to improve food safety. Main objectives of creating a task force include identifying foodsafety needs for Vermont food producers and processors, establishing an advisory group for regulatoryissues and changes, improving communication between stakeholder groups and state agencies, andincreasing availability of food safety education. Funding for a Conference will be a necessary first stepin bringing representatives from the food producing groups together to elucidate food safety needs andbegin to strategize on ways to address them.
Response to Food Protection Task Force Conference Grant (PAR-09-123) Project Narrative The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) is applying for funding to create a state food protection task force with the goal of improving food safety and protection from farm to table in Vermont. The mission of VDH is To protect and promote optimal health for all Vermonters. There is a public health need to have a food protection conference that includes participants from many different parts of the Vermont food system. The timing is excellent because support for local food production has been growing. Increasing local food production in Vermont is seen as an ideal way to grow local businesses and create local jobs. This has led to an increase in the amount of food processors and local food products available for distribution. Funding for a food safety conference is needed to identify food safety needs for Vermont producers and processors in order to protect the public health.
