COLUMBUS — A new endowed fund to support food safety has been established thanks to a $100,000 gift from Bill Marler and Marler Clark LLP PS, The Food Safety Law Firm.
The gift, presented to The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Oct. 1, brings the fund’s total to $169,863 and establishes it as a permanent endowment for The Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention (CFI).
Founded as a nonprofit organization in 2006, CFI brought its 14-year record of protecting public health to CFAES in September 2019. The center, which is now housed within the CFAES Department of Food Science and Technology, has a mission to advance a more scientific, risk-based food safety system that prevents foodborne illnesses and protects public health by translating science into policy and practice.
This fund will provide a steady stream of funds for CFI’s public policy and translational research efforts, which include, for example, providing input to government agencies on addressing salmonella in meat and poultry products, according to Barbara Kowalcyk, a CFAES assistant professor who co-founded CFI and is the center’s director.
CFI focuses on translating science into food safety policies and practices that prevent foodborne disease. The center also provides a centralized location for food safety resources, researchers, faculty and staff from several Ohio State colleges and departments including the College of Public Health, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Education and Human Ecology.
To learn more about CFI and the endowment fund, visit foodsafety.osu.edu.
