Health Department recognizes food safety award recipients
SUBMITTED BY: Kodi Bryant; Public Health Information Specialist, JCPH
JEFFERSON COUNTY – Three Jefferson County food service establishments, the Arvada Villa Italian Restaurant, Jus Cookin’s in Lakewood, and Rocky Mountain Hog Roasters in Westminster are the most recent recipients of Jefferson County Public Health’s “Leader in Food Safety” Award.
While their menus and locations may be very different, they all share in their commitment to proper food handling and preparation techniques. The three restaurants were recognized Sept. 22 as leaders in food safety by Jefferson County Public Health’s Food Safety Program and JCPH Executive Director, Dr. Mark B. Johnson.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the award, which has been received by 16 other Jefferson County food service establishments since its inception in 2001.
JCPH Environmental Health Specialists perform more than 3,500 food safety inspections yearly in Jefferson County to help prevent food-borne illness outbreaks and assure that Jefferson County citizens and visitors are provided with safe food.
JCPH staff routinely inspect food service operations such as restaurants, delicatessens, school cafeterias and retail markets to ensure compliance with state regulations.
“The Leader in Food Safety Award is our way of showing appreciation to the food service establishments in Jefferson County who go out of their way to assure food-borne illness isn’t on the menu,” according to a JCPH statemen5t.
“We want to thank the staff and the management of these establishments for their prevention efforts and encourage the community to thank them as well,” said Dave Hooker, Food Safety Program Supervisor.
JCPH annually recognizes its “leaders in food safety” during National Food Safety and Education Month each September as part of an effort to encourage citizens to learn more about safe food handling and preparation techniques.
Preventing foodborne illness continues to be an important public health challenge: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 325,000 people are hospitalized and 5,000 die from foodborne illness each year in the U.S. There are approximately 1.2 million cases of foodborne illness each year in Colorado, though most do not require hospitalization.
For more information please call Jefferson County Food Safety Program at 303-271-5700 or visit our web site at www.jeffco.us/health. To learn more about the regular inspections of your favorite restaurants in Jefferson County, click on the Retail Food Inspection link on our web site at http://jeffco.us/health.
