APHL is working in collaboration with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to strengthen capability and capacity in human and animal food testing laboratories. This effort has been supported by a since 2012 with cooperative agreements from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the creation of a National Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS).
The agreements have supported human and animal food laboratories seeking to achieve, maintain or enhance ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, as well as strengthen testing capacity and capability in these laboratories, with an overall goal of supporting mutual reliance between state and federal partners.
Current Work Objectives:
- Building a competent human and animal food laboratory workforce by developing and delivering trainings, workshops, and other educational resources
- Planning and hosting conferences and meetings related to the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM) disciplines and the GenomeTrakr network
- Providing direct technical assistance to non-FDA funded human and animal food testing laboratories working towards achieving ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation
- Identifying barriers to an IFSS and addressing noted gaps, including differences between federal and state regulations
- Enhancing and maximizing human and animal food laboratory participation in the GenomeTrakr network and other networks relevant to LFFM tracks
- Developing resources that promote quality assurance and mutual reliance between strategic partners
- Documenting harmonization efforts between PulseNet and Genome Trakr activities
- Support the development of NFSDX for data exchange
Accomplishments to date:
Developing and presenting ISO 17025 learning events, including live workshops, live and archived webinars, a conference dedicated to laboratory accreditation and collaborating with regulatory programs, external conference symposiums, and on-demand courses.