To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Ori Tzvieli, Interim Health Services Director
Report Title: Grant Award #78-069-1 to National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Interim Health Services Director, or designee, to ACCEPT on behalf of the County Grant Award #78-069-1 from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to pay County an amount not to exceed $12,000, to assist the Health Services Department (HSD)’s Environmental Health Services Division, Retail Food Program, with conformance to the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, for the period from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Grant Award will result in an amount payable to the County of $12,000 from NEHA. No County match is required.
BACKGROUND:
NEHA and the FDA have partnered to offer financial support to advance conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards). The NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model (RFFM) Grant Program is designed to support state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) retail food regulatory agencies working to achieve conformance with FDA’s Retail Program Standards. The NEHA-FDA RFFM Grant Program offers customizable approaches which enable jurisdictions to design a program that best suits their capacity and ambitions as they work to achieve conformance with the Retail Program Standards.
The NEHA-FDA RFFM Grant Program will provide the County enhanced technical assistance and retail subject matter guidance throughout the grant cycle, in partnership with FDA, including a Mentorship Program in collaboration with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and dedicated educational programs to address advancement and conformance with the Retail Program Standards.
The NEHA-FDA RFFM Grant Program has three primary goals including support strategies that reduce the occurrence of foodborne illness risk factors; promote uniformity and a national Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS) by enabling jurisdictions to move toward full compliance with the Retail Program Standards; and fully leverage the expertise and capacity of SLTT retail food protection agencies to meet Retail Program Standards goals.
On November 4, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved County to submit Application #78-069 to NEHA in partnership with the FDA, to pay the County an amount not to exceed $22,500, to assist the HSD’s Environmental Health Services Division, Retail Food Program, with conformance to the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards for the period from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.
Approval of Grant Award #78-069-1 will allow County to accept funds and assist the Environmental Health Services Division, Retail Food Program, with conformance to the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards through March 31, 2026. This Award is late due to the Environmental Health Services Division receiving the Notice of Award on April 9, 2025.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Grant Award is not approved, the County will not receive funds to assist HSD’s Environmental Health Services Division, Retail Food Program, with conformance to the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards.