This post has been updated to reflect that the award deadline was moved to March 31, 2022.

Reno, Sparks Nev. Dec. 7, 2021. The deadline to be considered for the Washoe County Health District (WCHD) Excellence in Food Safety Awards is March 31, 2022. Local food establishments and facilities that meet the award criteria, exceed established regulations and go above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment to long-term food safety are encouraged to apply here . More information about the Excellence in Food Safety Award can be found here.

There is no limit to the number of food establishments that can receive this annual award.

To acknowledge the achievement of maintaining the highest standards of food safety in our community, recipients of the award will receive the following: an award certificate, an Excellence in Food Safety Award logo window cling for the year of the award, a digital logo to display on webpages and social media, and recognition on the WCHD website and the Washoe Eats smartphone app.

Please visit our website to determine if your facility meets the criteria of the program. The Excellence in Food Safety Awards can be used as a tool to encourage a strong culture of food safety in your establishment for customers and staff, and we look forward to your participation.

The program’s first Excellence in Food Safety Award was presented in 2020 to BJ’s Nevada Barbecue Company. BJ’s Nevada Barbeque Company met strict criteria pertaining to food safety practices within the establishment including passing all health inspections throughout the year, maintaining written food safety plans and monitoring logs, and participating in continuing education on food safety for restaurant staff.

The Washoe County Health District completes over 4,500 inspections annually to ensure food that is served to Washoe County residents is safe. Health District staff is dedicated to providing food safety education during routine inspections as well as acknowledging those establishments that go above and beyond in their food safety practices.

For further questions, contact us at foodsafety@washoecounty.gov.

The Washoe County Health District is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making Washoe County District Board of Health. The District consists of five divisions: Administrative Health Services, Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. More info can be found here.