West Dunbartonshire Council Wins Top Award from Food Standards Agency in Food Safety Week
West Dunbartonshire Council's Environmental Health Section has scooped a prestigious grant from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the FSA announced during Food Safety Week (11-17 June).
For the first time this year these grants, totalling £200,000, have been awarded to local authorities in all UK countries for projects worth up to £10,000.
"This grants scheme is part of the Food Standards Agency's work to support local initiatives that promote safe handling of food in the home and healthy eating, concentrating particularly on work with schools and local organisations," said Robert Martin of the FSA's Microbiological Safety Division.
"We were very impressed by the record number of applications for grants this year and the high standard and imaginative projects which will benefit local communities in raising awareness of healthy eating issues and improving standards of food hygiene."
The FSA is committed to reducing foodborne disease as well as encouraging consumers to choose a healthy diet. By supporting local initiatives in this way, local authorities are able to use these Agency-funded grants to target specific community needs and promote food hygiene and healthy eating messages to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups at a local level, he added.
John Stevenson, Environmental Health Section Head said, "We are delighted to receive this funding to promote food safety and hygiene to West Dunbartonshire's communities. We have a number of projects planned to take place over the next year including those specifically designed to address the needs of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pre 5s and those with learning difficulties. We will also continue to develop our handwashing campaign, Hygiene Scene, for primary school pupils which has proven to be very popular and effective."
