The Washington State Food Protection Task Force was formed in August 2012 through cooperative agreement funding received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The task force pulls together all levels of government: federal, state and local to work together to identify and address food protection issues in Washington State.  Member agencies have expertise in food, feed, epidemiology, laboratory, animal health, environment and public health.

The mission of the Washington State Food Protection Task Force is to:

• Identify and address food and feed safety issues within Washington State;
• Provide food safety and food defense education opportunities to all stakeholders;
• Through quarterly meetings, provide a forum to enhance communication and strengthen partnerships among regulatory agencies.

Current goals of the Washington State Food Protection Task Force are to:

• Maintain a statewide Food Emergency Response Plan (FERP);
• Enhance communication and collaboration among Washington State regulatory laboratories;
• Serve as a forum for laws and regulations that impact multiple regulatory stakeholders;
• Enhance public and industry awareness of the food and feed regulatory agencies in Washington State;
• Develop and maintain a website with information on food and feed safety topics important to industry, academia, consumers and Food Protection Task Force participants.