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. A total of $169,863 was granted  to to The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) as a means to upkeep The Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention (CFI) and improve food safety. 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. Barbara Kowalcyk, Assistant Professor of Food Safety and Public Health, Core TDAI Faculty Member, and cofounder of CFI went on to state that “Increasingly, food safety is seen as critical to ensuring food security and sustainability” and “This wonderful gift will support CFI’s efforts to prevent foodborne disease.”

CFI focuses on translating science into food safety policies and practices that prevent foodborne disease. The center provides a centralized location for food safety resources, researchers, faculty, and staff from several Ohio State colleges and departments, such as the College of Public Health, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, and the College of Education and Human Ecology.