Program Manager: Ashlee-Rose Ferguson (360) 902-1905

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) regulates commercial animal feed including livestock feed, poultry feed, fish feed and pet food at the state level. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates animal feed at the federal level.
 

Program Manager: Kim Eads (360) 725-5651

The Washington State Department of Agriculture's (WSDA) Food Assistance programs assist local organizations and tribes in providing emergency food to low income and vulnerable individuals throughout Washington State. Our goals are to alleviate hunger and increase the amount of nutritious foods distributed through emergency food programs while supporting the agricultural community.

Please visit our Food Assistance Program COVID-19 Page for additional information and helpful links.

Program Manager: Wil Satak (360) 902-1876

The Food Safety Program is responsible for regulation, licensing, and inspection of food processing facilities, food storage warehouses, dairy farms and processing plants, cottage food operations, custom meat facilities, eggs and marijuana-infused edibles. The program also works closely with the dairy industry to maintain the ability to ship milk and milk products out-of-state, as well as with FDA and the Department of Health in conducting investigations of facilities and collecting samples for testing. Food safety also issues export certificates. 

Lab Director: Yong Liu

WSDA's Food Safety & Consumer Services (FS&CS) Laboratory provides laboratory testing to protect the public's health by providing data on food borne pathogens to: regulatory agencies, our Federal partners, and the agricultural community. This data allows the interstate shipment of dairy products and provides information for food borne pathogen surveillance.

Program Manager: Brenda Book (360) 902-1805

WSDA Organic Program is a USDA-accredited certifier, providing access to the organic market and ensuring the integrity of the organic label by offering certification to farmers, ranchers, handlers, and processors in Washington State and beyond. In addition, WSDA Organic Program reviews and maintains a publicly available list of brand name input materials that comply with organic requirements. The Organic Program also provides technical assistance through the development and sharing of information, resources, and support for clients and the public regarding organic certification.

Please visit our Organic Program COVID-19 Page for additional information and resources.

Program Manager: Connie Fisk (360) 545-2519

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Produce Safety Program, funded through a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Cooperative Agreement Program (CAP), promotes understanding of and compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. This rule, published in 2015, is the first mandatory standard for the production of fruits and vegetables in the United States and helps growers and packers identify and reduce microbial risks during produce growing, harvesting, packing, and holding. The WSDA Produce Safety Program achieves the objectives of the FDA CAP by providing education, outreach, and technical assistance to produce growers, maintaining an inventory of produce farms covered by the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, inspecting covered farms for compliance with the Rule, and taking enforcement action when necessary to protect consumers of Washington-grown produce.

Please visit our Produce Safety Program webpage for additional information and helpful links.

RRT Coordinator: David Minor (360) 810-0387

The Rapid Response Program develops and manages the WA state Rapid Response Team (RRT) for food and feed emergency responses. The RRT is a joint effort by WSDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Seattle District Office (SEA-DO) to improve the efficiency of food emergency response and reduce the time to a meaningful intervention that protects public health.