I will be in Washington DC both this week and next. Next week I will be at the Food Safety Summit receiving the 2010 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Education.

NSF has worked for over 65 years to assure food safety, quality, and consistency. The NSF Food Safety Leadership Award was created to recognize those leaders in foodservice who have made a real and lasting impact on the foodservice industry. The 2010 Food Safety Leadership Awards (FSLA) Program is celebrating its seventh year recognizing outstanding leadership in foodservice safety.

Nominations were evaluated by an independent panel of food safety experts based on creativity, innovation, design, contribution to the advancement of food safety, and overall quality of contributions made. Winners are recognized in one of eight awards categories: education, training, equipment design, packaging innovation, product development, research advances, system improvement, and technology breakthroughs. One individual is also recognized with a lifetime achievement award for their significant contributions to advancing food safety.

The 2010 FSLA award recipients will be announced at the Food Safety Summit on Wednesday, April 14, 2010, prior to the morning keynote speech at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. This will be the third year the awards are presented at the Food Safety Summit, the largest and most established food safety and defense exposition in North America on food safety, quality assurance and food security.

NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company™, a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, is the world leader in standards development, product certification, education, and risk-management for public health and safety. For 65 years, NSF has been committed to public health, safety, and protection of the environment. While focusing on food, water, indoor air, and the environment, NSF develops national standards, provides learning opportunities, and provides third-party conformity assessment services while representing the interests of all stakeholders. The primary stakeholder groups include industry, the regulatory community, and the public at large.